When Town officials first learned that up to 80 people were camping under the bridge at the entrance to Carbondale in early November, we decided to respond in a humanitarian way that is consistent with Carbondale’s values, balanced with pragmatism based on our limited capacity. We determined that the impacts on the community and the newcomers of an orderly, humane, temporary shelter system and related supports are preferable to the impacts and life/safety threats of unregulated camping around town and in cars in winter.
In the absence of a coordinated national resettlement program, it is falling to local municipalities across the country to respond to unhoused refugees who arrive. Our best hope is that we may transform this challenge into an opportunity to help address the labor shortage with workers who gain work permits and can support themselves, as generations of immigrants have done here before. Two months in, as we transition into the next phase of our plan, I hope this update will help residents understand our decisions and what’s next.
Phase 1: Where we’ve been: In early November as winter set in, the Third Street Center (as an independent nonprofit) opened its community hall as a temporary emergency shelter site; and the Carbondale Board of Trustees established three goals to guide our response:
Ensure immediate basic needs are met with a focus on securing shelter during the height of winter, while setting clear limits to prevent Carbondale from becoming a destination for more people than we can support;
Create a pathway for work and self-sufficiency by connecting refugees to support and resources; and
Spearhead a regional discussion and seek external funding to broaden resources for this response
We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the tenants, staff, and board of the Third Street Center, Voces Unidas, and others for maintaining the emergency shelter for much longer than anticipated while the Town has worked to secure funding and establish the next phase in our plan.
Phase 2: Where we are: Over the next two weeks, the Town will open two new night shelter sites to house 20 people each through March 31 as Third Street winds down its emergency shelter and returns to normal operations. The new sites will be the Carbondale Community United Methodist Church on 2nd Street and Meeting Room 2 at Carbondale Town Hall. We researched every potential site in the region, and these are the only two sites currently available. We need other organizations, communities, or counties to step up to house the 20 additional refugees who are currently at Third Street.
The Town operates on a tight budget, which we have been careful to protect as we have stepped in to respond to this emergency. We are using a $223,880 grant from the Department of Local Affairs to pay for shelter staffing, security, meals, and project management. Overnight parking will be allowed on the Town-owned vacant lots at Town Center. We continue to partner with non-profit organizations to provide legal aid, case management, transportation to other destinations, etc.
Phase 3: Where we’re going: The Town has stepped in to help coordinate an emergency response but is actively working to return to normal operations. Once we get the night shelters open, we will immediately start planning how to close them by our goal of March 31 without people returning to unregulated camping and sleeping in cars. We may be forced to revise our goal to address ongoing impacts, but our goal will guide our actions. We will start discussion of this phase at our Work Session at Town Hall at 6pm on Jan. 16.
Q&A
The following questions are the most common I’ve heard in daily emails, calls, meetings, and conversations throughout the community.
Question: By providing shelter and services for the unhoused refugees who arrived in the fall, will Carbondale become a destination for an unlimited stream of people?
Answer: This has been our top concern as well. Fortunately, in the more than two months that the emergency shelter has been open, our numbers have remained fairly steady, with some turnover as early arrivals move on. Phase 2 involves reducing capacity from 60 to 40 and limiting shelters to nighttime occupancy. Phase 3 is focused on winding down our shelters completely. Carbondale’s main draw is the availability of work in this valley. Most people arrived before we had any services in place, and the draw of employment will likely continue after the Town discontinues its emergency response.
Question: Will the Town’s response to this crisis distract us from our focus on workforce housing?
Answer: We continue to move workforce housing forward on multiple fronts every week, including the 39-unit project at Town Center, increases in our inclusionary housing guidelines, and contributions to the regional housing coalition. We are not distracted and our determination is unchanged.
Question: Is the Town prioritizing this group’s needs over the needs of long-term locals who also struggle with housing?
Answer: We are not prioritizing newcomers over long-term residents. We have never had such a large number of unhoused people in Carbondale, and our response to this moment may lead to a better response to our local unhoused population going forward. Our emergency services are available to anyone who needs them.
Question: Has there been an increase in crime since these newcomers arrived?
Answer: In the months that these newcomers have been in Carbondale, our police have not reported a disproportionate incidence of criminal activity. There is no factual basis for assuming that these newcomers are more prone to crime than any other group of people.
Thank you for your compassion and understanding as we navigate this challenge. I share your concerns and I will continue to do everything I can to mitigate the impacts of this crisis on our Town. For more information, see www.bit.ly/CdaleNewcomers, attend our Work Session at 6pm on Jan. 16, or email newcomersresponse@carbondaleco.net