A homeless shelter village could soon be built in one Sussex County town.
Georgetown’s mayor and town council approved allowing the nonprofit Springboard Collaborative and the First State Community Action Group to build 30 modular homes in a village-like setting for the town’s homeless population.
Springboard Collaborative executive director Judson Malone says a Washington state company would provide the homes.
“They make these 64-square-feet and 100-square-feet sleeping units; they are modulars made of non-organic materials, very durable," Malone said. "And they can be shipped on a pallet and erected on-site very quickly.”
The homes have heat and AC, smoke detectors and fire extinguishers and windows. And they are built by people who used to be homeless.
“They have heat," Malone said. "They have air conditioning. They have fire extinguishers and smoke detectors and emergency egress. In other words, they’re well-designed to meet local codes and they’re very thoughtfully built by people who have previously been homeless; they have what’s called a second-chance workforce.”
Mayor Bill West believes this village could help the estimated 35-40 homeless people in Georgetown.
“It seems like we’ve had an influx of homeless people to the ACE Center and to the Shepherd House and they’re staying in the woods," West said. "And it’s creating problems for the ambulance and the fire company and the police in general.”
Malone says no decision has been made on where to put the village, but one option is two-acres of land in the Kimmytown neighborhood at the end of North Railroad Avenue.
Building the village would cost about $1.2 million. Another $1 million annually is needed to pay staff, safety monitors and case workers.
