All but one person on Ottawa’s Plan Commission voted last night against recommending a permit for a new homeless shelter on E. McKinley Rd. One requirement to get a conditional use permit is to have neighborhood support, and the area’s residents aren’t going for it. Many of them said they think the clientele will bring trouble.
Illinois Valley PADS Executive Director Carol Alcorn says the people served at the shelters in Peru and Ottawa rarely cause trouble. For minor problems, someone gets a few warnings before being booted out. For serious trouble, the person is booted out immediately.
Even so, Police Chief Brent Roalson would prefer a more central location for PADS. He says putting it on the far southern edge of the city would increase police response time, meaning danger lasts longer when there is trouble.
Katherine Leipold lives on the south side. She and her husband, Chris Burns, were the only two people who spoke last night in favor of the location.
There was a letter of support from a pastor, and Brent Barron was the only Commission member voting for the permit. He says the country has a bigger problem with affordable housing not being available and the people who go to homeless shelters are our fellow citizens.
The City Council could vote yes or no on the permit next Tuesday.
Illinois Valley PADS Executive Director Carol Alcorn speaks from the lectern to the Ottawa Plan Commission while PADS board members sit in the front row at City Hall.
Most of the people at the Ottawa Plan Commission meeting were against a new PADS homeless shelter being built on E. McKinley Rd.