Newark City Councilmembers John Suchanec and Corinth Ford recently visited the pallet village in Georgetown opened by nonprofit Springboard Delaware.
42 people who were previously experiencing homelessness currently live in the tiny homes.
The village also has a community center that offers residents an arts program and connections to support services and health care providers.
Ford said the issue with a potential pallet village project in Newark is there’s less space.
“We are looking outside of Newark, at the county, at more open land, where land might be available because that's one of the problems,” Ford said. “You need the land. Really, the organization that is setting up the pallet villages actually has money to do this if they can find land to locate on.”
Ford said she, Suchanec and several community members plan to meet again to discuss the feasibility of a pallet village in Newark. She added it’s possible the effort will go to the county rather than be pursued at the city level.
Councilmember Suchanec set up the tour in Georgetown. Ford said she was very impressed with the operation, and a potential second location in New Castle County could be modeled after the Georgetown location.
The Georgetown village helped obtain 21 identification documents for its residents, according to Springboard. 95% of residents receive support services, and 86% have a primary care provider.
The average life expectancy of someone experiencing homelessness is 50 years old – more than 20 years younger than the general population, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless.
Ford said a village in the state’s northern county could bring more support and services to people in need.
“They do help folks who are having problems, either with alcohol or drugs…” Ford said. “They also help people get health care, apply for Medicaid, get their documents. That's a big thing. A lot of the homeless have lost possessions. They may have lost their social security card, so the pallet village does help them and refers them to Social Services.”
The plan for the pallet village is still in its infancy. First, Ford said she and her colleagues need to figure out how many people are experiencing homelessness in the area.
“How many would we have to house?” Ford said. “And then see if it's feasible to find any land within the city of Newark to do that. We're thinking that just outside of Newark city limits, up 72 and or down 72… might be a better place. We have a better shot at getting land.”
Ford said there will need to be more discussions before the team makes any decisions.
