About 100 people gathered on Friday to debate proposed plans to relocate the men’s homeless shelter to the county’s Southern Human Services campus on Homestead Road.

Chris Moran, executive director of the Inter-Faith Council, said the proposed plans are “at a standstill,” pending negotiations between the town of Chapel Hill and Orange County.

The Orange County Advisory Board on Aging has issued a statement opposing the plan because the new Robert and Pearl Seymour Center for seniors is located at the Homestead Road campus.

A number of seniors spoke against the plan, while others said they supported the proposal. Mayor Kevin Foy said he supported the proposed plans and encouraged community members to confront the issue of homelessness as a community issue.

Moran said the proposed site at the Homestead Road campus is the best option available for the men’s homeless shelter. The shelter is now located on the corner of Rosemary and North Columbia streets in downtown Chapel Hill.

Project HomeStart, the women and children’s shelter, is already located at the Southern Human Services campus. Locating the men’s shelter on the same property would enable the IFC to staff both shelters more efficiently.

In addition, shelter residents would have access to other county services, including the Health Department and the Department of Social Services.
— Staff Reports