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September 16, 2004

Grove Hall residents cool to plan for transitional home

Jeremy Schwab

When Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center President Joe Evering pitched his organization’s plan to build housing for formerly homeless young men in Grove Hall last week, abutters vehemently objected.

With few exceptions, those who gathered at the Grove Hall Library for a community meeting organized by Project RIGHT said they did not want the men, many of whom would be recovering drug addicts or alcoholics, living among them.

“I’m concerned because I live right on Blue Hill and we already have a lot of drug people in the community,” said one woman who would not give her name.

“The [site] is right across from me,” said one man. “I don’t want to be sitting across from those people.”

Residents of the housing, dubbed Unity Project, would be required to maintain full-time jobs during their 12-18 month stay in the housing. Harvard Street would provide social services, including job counseling, to steer the residents toward lives of self-sufficiency.

Evering, whose organization owns the land at 370-372 Blue Hill Avenue, defended the project.

“We would spend $4.5 million to renovate the building,” he said. “That was a blight since we got it.”

Robert Kinney, who runs the First Academy program which is administered by Harvard Street, sought to ease neighbors’ concerns about the lifestyles of the formerly homeless men.

“The people in our program live a life of recovery,” said Kinney. “They don’t want drugs around them.”

But the neighbors weren’t buying.

When Evering suggested another meeting to discuss the proposal, John Barbour of the Intervale/Normandy Street Residents Association said, “We are convinced the service is needed, but this location is wrong for us. It’s that simple.”

Project Rebuild and Improve Grove Hall Together and at least six other neighborhood groups oppose the proposed housing.

“We work for the neighborhood, so whatever the neighborhood wants that is what we are going to get them,” said Project RIGHT Executive Director Jorge Martinez. “I think highly of the work [Harvard Street] does, but if the neighbors don’t want that facility, they don’t want it.”

Martinez expressed confidence that opponents could stop the project if Harvard Street tried to move forward.

“If you have six to eight neighborhood associations and just bring 8 to 10 people from each and go before the Zoning Board of Appeal and the mayor’s office and Senator Hart and the representatives, the neighborhood has the capability to stop it,” he said.

But it may not come to that. Harvard Street representatives at the well-attended meeting said they would not seek to move forward unless the neighbors approve of the idea.

“If there is visceral opposition, we are not going to be able to do it,” said Evering, whose organization would receive technical assistance from the Madison Park Development Corporation on the project. “We don’t need the back door. I don’t think we can be successful that way. But I do think we need to explain to you why we support this.”

While most residents who spoke unconditionally opposed the housing, some suggested a compromise whereby Harvard Street would help the neighborhood combat the drug trade in Grove Hall in return for approval of the project.

“I would suggest this is an opportunity so that your overall plan would include you helping us clean up some of this community,” said Elm Hill Park Neighborhood Association member Bill Thompson.

 

 

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