A plan to build long-term housing for people who've been in prison is raising objections from neighbors. The proposal is to put in a 60 unit building in the neighborhood of Acorn Park in West Eugene.
Sponsors is a program that helps people who've been in prison get back into society. Director Paul Solomon:
Solomon: "Re-entry services consist of transitional housing, long-term housing, employment services, mentoring and a range of other services designed to help people transition successfully back into the community."
Sponsors and the Housing and Community Services Agency, or HACSA have requested a zoning change so they can build on a 1.5 acre lot on Oak Patch Road that's currently occupied by single-family homes.
Some residents aren't very pleased at the prospect of former criminals living next door.
Madsen: "My name is Vernon Madsen. I am a resident on Oak Patch. My property will be directly neighbor to this facility that they're trying to build."
Madsen has three kids:
Madsen: "14-year-old daughter, 8-year-old daughter, and a 12-year-old boy." Vernon-kids
Joosse: "My name is Brandon Joosse. I'm also a resident of the neighborhood. I also live on the fenceline directly next to where this proposed site is going to be. And I'm a concerned father with 3 children. 3 boys that are 4, 11, and 12, and my wife and I are very concerned."
Joosee and Madsen have been going door-to-door with a petition opposing the Sponsors project. They've also been active on the neighborhood Facebook page, voicing objections. They don't feel comfortable about having ex-cons, and possibly sex-offenders, in the neighborhood.
Joosse: "It's a nice neighborhood to live in. there's a park there with lots of kids. It's just, there's so many, hundreds of kids in the area. If this goes through it's going to make a very negative impact on the neighborhood."
Sponsors director Paul Solomon says that's just not true. He says the agency works to improve communities. He says when they've built new projects in the past they've faced objections from neighbors.
Solomon: "Over time, once the projects are developed, people come to see us as really good neighbors that we add value to the community that we develop beautiful projects that enhance the neighborhood that are well maintained and that actually enhance public safety."
The project proposed on Oak Patch Road would be for people who've been through Sponsors re-entry program.
Solomon: "And this project is really designed to develop permanent housing for people who have successfully completed our programs, who are stable, in compliance with the conditions of their parole or probation or have been referred by parole or probation to the program."
The building would house up to 60 people with 2 parole officers. Solomon says they'll include veterans and people with disabilities. He says no predatory sex offenders will be housed at the site.
Solomon says 65 to 75 percent of the people who enroll in Sponsors successfully complete the program, which means they find jobs, permanent housing and become stable members of the community. Neighborhood residents Brandon Joosse and Vernon Madsen say they value the work Sponsors does. Here's Madsen:
Madsen: "We do support what they do. But we don't support that they want to build it directly in our back yard."
Madsen says 200 people have signed his petition against the project. He plans to take it to the state legislature. It's unclear if there's anything concerned neighbors can to do stop it.
Sponsors and HACSA are holding a community meeting Thursday evening at 5:30 at Valley Covenant Church in Eugene. A second meeting is planned for next Tuesday at Sponsor's Transitional Housing on Highway 99.
