by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
The City’s effort to keep a halfway house out of Springfield could hinge on its ability to find an alternative site.
In July, dispute over one vacant building in the historic neighborhood was ignited after River Region Human Services, a homeless provider, expressed interest in moving into the area. Fans flamed the issue, but ultimately were doused after the City made promises to the non-profit that it would help find it “comparable accommodations” in another part of town.
Months later that building, the Job Corps Building, remains empty and River Region is still without a new headquarters.
Mayor’s Office Government Affairs Chief Brad Thoburn said this week that there is little else to report.
“Site identification is a very challenging process,” Thoburn said, “so we continue to work with our housing and planning staff as well as other parties to be sure we can resolve this issue.”
Ideally, Thoburn said River region, which currently has operations spread citywide, would like a “campus-like setting.”
“And we recognize that everyone including residents in Springfield are anxious to know what the next step is,” he said. “This is one of those issues that both parties have been watching for some time.”
Thoburn and Springfield Preservation & Revitalization Council, Inc. are at least confident that a homeless shelter would not be a prospective neighborhood tenant for some time.
“River Region is more than qualified for that kind of project, but it isn’t the right time to put a shelter in Springfield,” SPAR’s Brenda Boydston said. “That would go against the City’s master plan and it would certainly take away from all of the good work that’s been done here over the past few years.”
A town hall meeting to get an update has been scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 27 in Klutho Park.
“We just want to know what’s happening,” Boydston said. “It could be bad news. It could be a celebration.”
When the Job Corps moved out of the building in 2004, General Services Administration declared the federally-owned facility surplus property. Protocol mandates that a homeless service provider be among the first potential tenants considered.
“But the reality is that (the building) is very old and it needs a lot of work,” Thoburn said. “We believe that it would ultimately be a financial drain on a shelter.
“I’m sure we’ll find something that will be a much more suitable fit for River Region.”