Vancouver parents outraged by winter shelter planned near elementary school
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Families in Vancouver are outraged as the city plans to open a winter shelter just steps from an elementary school.
The planned shelter has families worried, so KOIN 6 News dug into what safety measures the city is taking.
With freezing temperatures, Vancouver is ramping up efforts to help the city's most vulnerable.
The solution they've come up with is a new overnight shelter just feet from the Vancouver Innovation, Technology and Arts Elementary School at the Vancouver Arts Hub, along East Mill Plain Boulevard.
"There's definitely a need but I can imagine there's other places besides right next to an elementary school," said Bryan Ditterick, a VITA Elementary parent. "Is there a better place?"
Ditterick said he and other parents only learned of the plan days ago, from the school.
"I'm a first responder, I have compassion for everyone," Ditterick said. "But next to an elementary school? I just don't know if that's the right answer when there may be other options."
According to a City of Vancouver spokesperson, the shelter opens Sunday, December 14 and runs through March, operating overnight from 6:30 p.m. To 7 a.m.
The non-profit organization Outsider's Inn will run the shelter, with staff on-site.
It's unclear how many people it will house.
The city said only people referred through the Council For The Homeless will be accepted.
Background checks are required, and walk-ins won't be allowed.
"I'd like to know what all the screening criteria is, what qualifies someone to stay at the shelter?" said Katelyn Robley, a VITA Elementary parent.
In a notice to families, the school said the city expressed interest in engaging through a listening session.
"I'm not sure what listening event means," responded Ditterick.
On Friday, the Parent-Teacher-Student Association will host a meeting with city officials for parents to ask questions and discuss the plans.
Right now, they said they're most concerned about the city's transparency, the safety plans and possible issues spilling over onto school grounds.
"The fact that this has supposedly been planned for a while, there's not a lot of community trust right now with the city," Robley said.
In a response Thursday, the City of Vancouver told KOIN 6 it will keep working with the community to address concerns as the shelter opens.
Meanwhile, Washington state lawmakers plan to reintroduce a bill next month to ban homeless activity within 1,000 feet of schools, which would include VITA Elementary.
Stay with KOIN 6 as this story develops.