Springboard Delaware is proposing a new transitional housing option for Dover
Springboard is proposing to bring a village similar to Georgetown’s Navigation Center, often called the Pallet Village to Dover. This one would specifically assist homeless families.
The effort is based on Springboard’s “wraparound services” model, which is designed to address homelessness through mental health services and case management, as well as providing shelter.
And Springboard Delaware Founder Judd Malone says the housing they are proposing in Dover is non-permanent in nature.
“It’s very important to realize that we’re not proposing to build permanent shelters. We’ve designed these to be rapidly deployable, and we’ve designed these to be only there at a particular location on an interim basis. When the need for them reduces or goes away, they can be removed." he said.
Malone says the proposal aims to house around 40-45 families in spaces over 100 square feet in size. Unlike the Georgetown Navigation Center, these units would feature in-suite bathrooms.
Dover City Council members expressed concerns about policing such a set-up, but Springboard Delaware co-founder Judd Malone says they learned lessons on security from their Georgetown project.
“We had paid security, and we had staffing, around the clock. And it was incredibly expensive. It almost broke us. But over time, we realized that [if] you treat these people with some respect, they are going to take ownership of this community. We are not having to protect against them; we are trying to protect them.” he said.
Malone says their resident steward program, which involves the residents in daily maintenance and safety, completely replaced $200,000 worth of security costs. They plan to use the same model in Dover.
Springboard is scheduled to meet with Dover’s Planning and Zoning Department April 2nd in a non-public meeting to discuss permit filing and next steps.
