Today, Southeastern Housing Foundation, a nonprofit developer of affordable housing in Knoxville, appealed the Metropolitan Planning Commission’s June 11 denial of use on review for Flenniken Housing, a proposed 48-unit permanent supportive housing development at the old Flenniken School in South Knoxville.
MPC staff had recommended approval of the Flenniken Housing proposal because it conforms to local zoning ordinances and adopted plans. The appeal is filed on the grounds that MPC’s decision was inconsistent with City of Knoxville zoning ordinances and adopted plans and was contrary to staff’s recommendation for approval.
The TYP office anticipates that at its July 14 meeting, City Council will vote to hear Flenniken’s use on review appeal at the August 25 City Council meeting at 7pm in the Large Assembly Room at the City County Building. Click here to go to the City website’s City Council meeting schedule page.
3 Comments
My email is regarding the Flenniken Housing issue on the MPC agenda scheduled to heard at the July 14th City Council meeting.
I must adamantly contest this issue for several reasons. I asked the MPC commissioners and now ask you and the Council to seriously consider not only my reasons for objecting, but the community’s as well.
The first issue I see with allowing Flenniken to house homeless individuals is the sheer number being proposed. Forty eight individuals with not only chronic housing issues but mental disabilities as well? This is simply way too many unstable individuals for one location.
Another reason for my opposition is Flenniken is centrally located in what may already be considered an unstable community. There is residential housing, businesses, and more importantly elderly housing situated on the same plot of land directly beside of the Flenniken building. It is also less than a block from a dangerous highway, Chapman, and two other very busy streets, Martin Mill and Maryville Pikes. Picture the daily scenario outside of the mission on Broadway and then place that on either of these streets and it is a disaster waiting to happen.
Finally, I just feel this particular community simply cannot handle another strain such as this type of housing of such a large number of unstable, homeless individuals. This added pressure may be the breaking point instead of positive turning point for our community.
Dear Ten Year Plan to end Chronic Homeless:
Please oppose the appeal of MPC’s denial regarding the Use on Review for Flenniken Housing LP file #6-G-09-UR.
Remember this in December of 2008:
“Jon Lawler, director of the 10-year plan, asked for at least five members between the two elected bodies to serve on a new task force to develop a definitive set of qualifications for choosing suitable sites as the plan continues to establish new housing throughout the city and county. Lawler said he hopes to assemble that task force and produce the list of criteria by March. Meanwhile, he said his office also would answer the elected officials’ calls to take an inventory of all existing supportive housing in the area, including publicly subsidized sites and halfway houses, to be used in deciding where or where not to locate future housing.”
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/dec/12/concerns-aired-at-workshop/
I fundamentally disagree with the designated use of this school as a transitional home for the chronically homeless to be mentioned in your CONFORMITY OF THE PROPOSAL TO ADOPTED PLANS!
#3 “The ultimate use of this site as housing for the homeless would be consistent with the Knoxville Knox County 10 year plan to address on Homelessness in the community. ”
I attended the meeting on Flenniken School in February conducted by Jon Lawler.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/feb/06/meeting-addresses-homeless-housing-status/
I did not hear of a focus on any programs concerning employment or community service being expected from the residences at this transitional housing at Flenniken School. I did see that “The Salvation Army has taken the lead in preparing formerly-homeless people for employment.” Does this mean that the Ten Year Plan (TYP) will rely on the Salvation Army to perform this reintegration component?
The Flenniken school is not near public transportation. The Flenniken school is not near The Salvation Army. There are not many employment opportunities surrounding this location. There is not a detox unit near this location.
The “Circles of Support”, a program of the Compassion Coalition appears to leave restabilization efforts in the hands of local churches that will ultimately be responsible to “bring them into the community of faith to build healthy relationships with their neighbors.” It does not seem logical that our local area churches are equipped to provide the services and reintegration that these chronically homeless. I believe that a wide range of diverse agencies would need to work together to serve particular groups among chronically homeless people that could join teams and referrals. We have not heard of any collaborative efforts to address issues often linked with homelessness: substance abuse, relapse, health care, mental illness, job training, or provisions of food. We were told in a pamphlet that “studies demonstrate that people in permanent supportive housing dramatically reduce their use of psychiatric inpatient services, hospital emergency room, jails, emergency shelters, detox centers and other such costly services. The costs associated with permanent supportive housing are offset by savings to organizations that deliver those services.” Apparently, case managers will be on hand, but how long will they be funded? Can housing, churches, and case managers collectively be sufficient in addressing the needs of this relocated population?
Funding is a key component in ending chronic homelessness. One of the biggest problems for homeless assistance providers is assembling the funds to be able to offer all the various services that chronically street homeless people with disabilities are likely to need. Area residents, homeowners, doubt the track record of transitional housing for the chronically homeless to be effective in our neighborhoods. Many people in South Knoxville feel that the TYP prototype at Flenniken school lacks substantiated proof that such a project will be successful in financial feasibility and stabilizing long-term operations.
South Knoxville has concerns that this transferred population into their neighborhood could risk their safety. Yet, they were told in a Q&A that at Flenniken housing, “in signing the lease the resident agrees to be a good neighbor. Failure to be a good neighbor can lead to eviction.” How would a “good neighbor” be defined in court? Would not being a “good neighbor” be a valid reason under local laws for evicting the tenant? This further illustrates why local residents do not believe that this project at Flenniken school will improve or protect their neighborhood.
It seems as though South Knoxville does not represent an exclusive cross section of the county to help in solving this problem. Why not spread the solution throughout other areas of the county equally? Better yet, why not place these transitional housing units downtown near the family justice center, the courts, hospitals, public transportation, the Salvation Army, and all of the other sources of services that this unique population requires?
In reviewing your TYP, I noticed that,
“The housing work group and the entire task force were impressed with the Common Ground projects in New York City. The president and founder of Common Ground, Rosanne Haggerty, led a retreat in Knoxville focusing on her group’s work and held a lively discussion on Common Ground’s successes and challenges. Of particular interest was the purchase and renovation of the Times Square Hotel into a 652-unit supportive housing facility with on-site social services. In addition to providing social services and a place to live, Common Ground provides on-site job training and employment opportunities through street-level retail and food service outlets. The hotel houses a diverse population with a wide range of needs and levels of resources. While the task force did not make a specific recommendation to replicate such resources. While the task force did not make a specific recommendation to replicate such a facility, there was a strong interest in exploring a small-scale version of this type of project.”
That seems totally sensible to have a centralized transitional housing unit near supportive services and many places of employment. Flenniken Housing plans are far from the projects of Common Ground.
I also read in the TYP:
“In developing the ten-year plan, the task force received considerable input from neighborhoods about public intoxication, loitering, and panhandling. Some neighborhoods, especially those in the inner-city, felt that they experience a disproportional amount of problems associated with the chronically homeless population. The actions that have been identified in the plan, including moving to a housing first strategy, better coordination of services, and establishment of a detox facility, will reduce or eliminate many of these concerns.”
It seems that South Knoxville is substantiated in their cause for concerns about Flenniken Housing being in their neighborhood. South Knoxville does not desire to be a place for a relocated chronically homeless population. The public meetings have not appeared to adequately discuss a coordination of services for the chronically homeless. They only mentioned case workers and churches. We did not hear anything concerning an establishment of a detox facility. This neighborhood is not the place for such a project.
I feel certain that the residents of South Knoxville would agree with the TYP conclusion:
“Homelessness is a major challenge for Knoxville and Knox County. While there are no simple solutions, the complexity of homelessness underscores the need for all sectors—social and health services, government, businesses providers and consumers, neighborhoods, and churches—to work together toward solutions.”
However, we do not agree that the Flenniken Housing in South Knoxville will be a successful project in the “Ten-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness.”
Please oppose the appeal of MPC’s denial regarding the Use on Review for Flenniken Housing LP file #6-G-09-UR.
Victoria DeFreese
“Do It Now”
I expect to pass through this world but once.
Any good thing, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show
to any fellow human being let me do it now.
Let me not defer nor neglect it; for I shall not pass this way again.
–Stephen Grellet
I think that housing homeless people in a heavy populated area is a hugh mistake. These people will be traveling on foot Chapman Highway were there are many businesses. There is no way that they can be watched all the time. My question to the City Coucil and MPC is “Would you want this project across the street from where you live. Would you want them hanging out in the parking lots where your family eats and shops. Please consider these questions before you cast your vote.
I think it is time that the city of Knoxville stopped dumping on South Knoxville. This would never be a consideration in West Knoxville.