The Addiction Center of Broome County hopes to open a “warming center” for when temperatures go below freezing. But some local business owners have pushed back against the plan.
The Binghamton Planning Commission decided to table a vote on the proposed shelter Tuesday night, after a contentious public hearing.
The 40-bed temporary shelter would be located in the city’s First Ward neighborhood at 15 Charles St. It would be a “Code Blue” location, meaning it only would shelter people when temperatures drop below freezing.
The Addiction Center of Broome County (ACBC) said the temporary shelter would offer meals and a place to sleep for people with nowhere else to go on cold winter nights. The organization argues there are not enough code blue locations to meet the rising need for emergency shelters in Broome County.
“People come in, and it's winter, and it's cold. And we have nowhere to put these people,” Becka Moore, who runs ACBC’s Health Homes program, said. Years ago, Moore said, she was homeless herself and dealing with addiction.
“It's a haven that I wish I could have had back when I was homeless on the street, looking for something, looking for a safe place to go, looking for the next meal,” Moore said.
But several local business owners pushed back on the plan, arguing that the center would bring crime and hurt business. They presented a petition against the proposal.
“If you want to see the city decay even more, then you should pander more to crime, poverty, drug addiction, mental illness, [and] drive away business,” said John Burdick, who owns a property at 99 Clinton St.
Jason Kovarik owns Kovarik Hardware, a store in the area. He brought a petition from local businesses against the proposal. Kovarik argued businesses are not against the idea of a warming center, but rather the proposed location.
“We believe that it will significantly discourage any new businesses, families, or students from moving into the First Ward,” Kovarik said. “And thus, stifle any future economic growth of the area.”
The Addiction Center, which owns the building, said they plan on checking everyone who comes into the space with a metal detector and background checks. People with arson or sex offense convictions, or outstanding warrants, would not be allowed to stay at the center.
The public hearing, which lasted over three hours, became increasingly heated as the night went on. Employees from the Addiction Center described homeless residents forced to sleep in dumpsters on cold nights, losing limbs to frostbite, and dying from the cold.
“This is insane that we have to be here and fight for people to be warm and safe,” Christopher Scott, who works for the Addiction Center, said. “Everybody here has an opportunity to go home and sleep and not worry about it. Some people don't.”
The planning commission initially began to vote on the proposal and then backtracked. Ultimately, the commissioners voted instead to table the proposal. It's unclear when a vote will be held again.