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- A proposed Ogden facility for the chronically homeless faces opposition from some due to its location.
- Some see it as running counter to efforts to revitalize the older neighborhood where it would sit, though proponents stress the proposed programming and staffing to assist the residents.
- Some $590,000 in federal funds that goes away in June if not spent would help with project development.
OGDEN — A proposal to convert a vacant assisted-living facility in Ogden's older core neighborhood into long-term housing for the chronically homeless is generating concerns from some leaders who question if it's the best location for such a facility.
"The objection is the where, and it's in our east-central residential neighborhood, adjacent to schools, our library," Ogden City Councilman Dave Graf said at a work session on the issue. "It's adjacent to our downtown. It's a neighborhood trying to climb up out of a state of disrepair and reinvigorate itself."
Councilman Richard Hyer said the location is a "deal-breaker" for him.
Officials took no formal action at Tuesday's gathering. They're tentatively set to act on the request for permission to let the project proceed at the Jan. 14 Ogden City Council meeting. However, some of the comments voiced at the meeting indicate the proposal to turn the ex-Aspen Care Center facility at 2325 Madison Ave. into a 25-unit facility to house low-income, chronically homeless people with disabilities faces an uncertain future.
The proposal drew strong support from the public and homeless advocates at a Dec. 3 public hearing, but even Ogden Mayor Ben Nadolski, who doesn't vote on the matter, expressed reservations, also citing the location.
The older east-central neighborhood of Ogden has been the focus of varied revitalization initiatives over the years, and the skeptics seem to worry the homeless facility would be a step back in those efforts. Nadolski also cited unspecified issues with Weber County commissioners and what he views as a lack of involvement of city officials in the site-selection process.
"We want to house people. That's why we're supporting so many projects in the city. We just want a seat at the table," Nadolski said, suggesting continued efforts to find an amenable site for the facility. "Can we have a chance to do it again, do it right and do it with everybody on board?"
Separate proposals in recent months in adjacent Davis County to build homeless shelters or open warming centers for the homeless on cold nights have similarly sparked backlash, and Councilwoman Angela Choberka referenced them. She's a supporter of the Ogden proposal, put forward by Weber Housing Authority, previously a Weber County government entity but now transitioning into an independent government entity.
"A lot of neighborhoods in our whole state won't even have a warming center overnight where people sleep from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. That's the barrier there," she said.
Andi Beadles, the Weber Housing Authority executive director, tried to allay some of the concerns about the facility, where the entity plans to move its administrative offices. Those living in the facility would have case managers to aid them and programming to keep them occupied. Staffers would be on hand around the clock to keep tabs on residents.
"I do want to stress — this is a program. It's not just a place that they'll be warehoused or that they'll be living. This is housing linked with case management, and individuals do have to participate in programming that will help them become self-sufficient," Beadles said.
Dealing with the homeless living on the streets, she noted, costs three times as much as it would in a facility. "It will get individuals off the streets. They won't utilize emergency services provided by the Ogden Police Department, the emergency room, paramedics, the fire department, etc. In addition, they won't be littering and leaving sleeping supplies and messes on Ogden city streets, which is a waste of taxpayer money," she said.
Beadles said she'd consider an alternative location, but she also noted that some $590,000 in federal funding that would help develop the facility must be used by June or the money goes away. What's more, the Ogden site is one of the best those involved in the site-selection process could find after investigating several locations around Weber County, including motels.
Meantime, Kevin Lundell, an Ogden resident who favors the project, is pressing city leaders to give the public another opportunity to speak out on the project as many are only learning of it now. Despite the reservations of some City Council members he senses broad support among the general public. "We can revitalize this section of the city and care for the most vulnerable in it," he said.
