The reason for the shut down is that one of the neighbors has complained about it. Mind you, there haven't been any incidents or problems at the site. And Stepping On Up jumped through all of the hoops and regulations that the City put in front of it. And there were even multiple public hearings held specifically for folks to bring their concerns, before Safe Bay was set up at this location. Despite all of that, the City has opted to prioritize the concerns of this one NIMBY over the dozens of unhoused folks that rely on this program. It prioritizes the property owner so much that it has decided to shut down the while program while it looks into their concerns.
Some are defending the City, saying that the governing ordinance requires temporary use permits to be suspended if someone files a frivolous appeal like this. But these are city rules, designed by the city itself. They wrote the ordinance in question with a built in advantage to neighboring property owners, despite the public good that the permit is for. This is quite different than the guidelines that govern eminent domain for developers. We do not believe that is a coincidence.
We urge our readers to reach out to the City and demand that Safe Bay be reopened. You contact your City Councilor at council@duluthmn.gov. And if you are living in your car and no longer have a place to go, Stepping On Up has an Outreach Hotline that you can call at (218) 461-8505.
Stop the City of Duluth's War on the Homeless!
Comments
Post a Comment