1000 ft Buffer Between Shelter & Schools

The Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness Votes to Create a 1000 ft Buffer Between Shelters and Schools

On April 20, 2023, the Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness voted in favor of a motion that requires a minimum distance of 1000 ft. between a permanent shelter and a school. Stephen Towne, a member of the Task Force, stated that the safety and security of the most vulnerable members of the community, namely children, should not be compromised. The motion was carried in a vote of 5 to 4, with 3 of the 4 members who voted against the motion expressing support for it later on.

The motion prohibits a permanent shelter in Saratoga Springs from being sited near a school, playground, school bus stop, or similar locations where children congregate. The minimum required distance from such locations in which a permanent shelter could be sited is 1000 feet, which is the same legal requirement that restrains pedophiles from residing or frequenting these locations. The Task Force stated that there are no mitigating actions that can adequately make up for compromises in the safety and security of children.

Tom Roohan, Kate Forer, Stephen Towne, Maggie Fronk and Kate Halliday voted for the 1000 ft. buffer. Hannah Hurley who voted against the motion said that she agreed with the general statement of the motion, Jules D’Angelo changed his stance after his vote of nay stated that he did want to go on record that he does believe that we do need to have a certain buffer between children and homeless shelters.

Sherie Grinter, who voted against the motion because of the wording of a paragraph in the motion, stated that she did not want the shelter next to children. She does not want the shelter located at 5 Williams Street by the school.

That left Lindsey Conners, a representative of RISE, who’s organization stood to directly benefit from the shelter. She voted against the motion and was the only one who did not change her opinion or express some sort of support for the motion like the others after the motion passed.

The Mayor has continued to write resolutions to amend the UDO (Unified Development Ordinance) restricting the potential locations in which the Task Force could recommend as viable options. Despite the limitations, the Task Force expressed overwhelming support that a permanent shelter should not be located near a school, even if the only potential location is 5 Williams Street.

After the 1000 ft. motion passed, the Task Force began discussing the definition of a low-barrier shelter in Saratoga. Before the resolution on the agenda was read, Reverend Forer took charge of the discussion pointing out that Lindsey had changed some of the wording and suggested the Task Force should accept it.

Mrs. Connors’ version was quite different from the one proposed in the agenda. It reduced and eliminated specific strong language and some items all together from the proposed agenda definition to one on par with or possibly even lower than the definition of a Code Blue shelter. Her definition did not exclude anyone and had no expectations for guests to comply with the law. Kate Forer proposed a motion to accept Lindsay’s definition, which was adopted by the Task Force

The Mayor was quoted as saying, “Maybe we should have an aspiration goal of low-barrier with the very particular details of that left to the agency” (Saratoga Today). Later that night, the RISE representative, Lindsay Connors, defined a low-barrier at the Task Force meeting, and a week later, the Mayor proposed a detailed partnership with RISE on the city council’s pre-agenda, including a location and funding through the end of 2024.

It is important to note that the definition of a Code Blue shelter and the standards for sheltering the homeless can vary by location and jurisdiction. It may be helpful to check with local authorities or homeless advocacy groups for more information on the specific requirements and resources available in our area. For our readers we have outlined the important functions of the permanent low barrier shelter in Saratoga to compare them to a Code Blue facility.