Shelter funding subject of long discussion at Madison County board

EDWARDSVILLE — A move by Madison County effectively cutting off $2.5 million in funding for a transitional homeless shelter in Alton was the subject of intense discussion at the June 19 County Board meeting.

Several public speakers asked that the county rescind a requirement that new proposals be located within five miles of the Madison County Administration Building, and later board members talked about it at length.

The issue started in March when the County Board’s Grants Committee approved $2.5 million in HOME/ARPA funds toward plans by the Salvation Army’s Alton Corps Community Center to build a $7.1 million transitional homeless shelter at the site of the former Booth House.

The plan immediately generated controversy among residents who, in many cases, had unpleasant memories of the Booth House, or simply didn’t want it in their neighborhood.

Several County Board members who were still supportive of the plan said at the time much of the blame for the controversy surrounding the proposal belonged to the city of Alton for not publicizing the plans prior to seeking county funding.

The Salvation Army put those plans on hold, and have since developed a new plan at a different site. On Tuesday, June 11, the Alton Plan Commission held back-to-back public hearings on the following topics:

• A request by the Salvation Army for a text amendment to the Alton City Code. The amendment would be for the Title 11 zoning ordinance to allow temporary shelters as a special use within the R-4 Multiple Family Residential District and establish supplemental standards regulating the use.
• A request by the Salvation Army for a special use permit to operate a temporary shelter at 1000 Oakwood Ave.

After the hearing was closed, the plan commission cast their vote. For the text amendment to the Alton City Code, the commission voted 5-3 to recommend a positive vote to the Alton City Council, with an amendment to the motion limiting the number of homeless facilities to one in Alton at a time. For the special use permit to operate the facility on 1000 Oakwood Ave., the commission voted 6-2 to recommend a negative vote to the Alton City Council. 

The Alton City Council is set to vote on Wednesday, June 26 on whether or not to approve or deny the the commission’s recommendations. A simple majority will be needed to approve or deny the recommendations.

Because of that the county had to go through the process of seeking new proposals, referred to as a Notice of Funding Opportunity, or NOFO.

As part of the new NOFO, several new requirements were put into place, including that the project being properly zoned. The most controversial was the 5-mile requirement, put into place in an effort to offer services in a centralized location within Madison County.

The deadline to submit letters of intent to apply for the project is 4 p.m. July 15, and the application deadline is 4 p.m. Dec. 16.

Three people spoke about the issue at Wednesday’s County Board meeting.

Karen Wilson, executive director of Operation Blessing, a Wood River-based food pantry, said they are seeing more and more homeless in Madison County.

“We should not be putting obstacles in the way of plans to help improve their lives,” she said.

The other two speakers echoed Wilson.

The issue was brought up under new business by Board Member Michael “Doc” Holliday, who asked that State’s Attorney Tom Haine explain what was happening.

Haine said under the initial NOFO there were a number of proposals, but the only one to reach the Grants Committee was the Salvation Army’s.

When the specifics of that proposal changed it stopped the process.

Under the new NOFO several additional requirements were added by the administration, including the 5-mile limit.

“If you’re coming up with a single large homeless shelter that serves the entire county…it makes sense that that be centrally located,” he said.

During discussion, some board members agreed with that, while others said any projects should be in the communities that most need them.

Holliday said the idea of a “central location” is detrimental to those who actually need it, and while it is not needed in Edwardsville, it is needed in Alton.

Haine also noted that interested groups must submit their letters by July 15.

“If no entity decides they can fit the parameters, the board can reconsider and go a different direction,” he said, noting the county has until 2030 to spend the money.

Holliday and Bill Stoutenborough, who both represent Alton, were the most adamant defenders of the project.

Stoutenborough attempted to make a motion to strike the 5-mile limit, but could not because it was not on the agenda.

Alison Lamothe said she had some concerns about the timing of the controversy.

“It looks like we pulled a $2.5 million rug out from under them,” she said.

Mike Babcock said the board should be able to figure out what to do.

“If this is what the taxpayers want, we’ll find the right place to put it,” he said. “If the right place happens to be Alton … I’m willing to go in that direction. I don’t think this is the end of the story, and I don’t think this is a do-or-die situation.”

Chris Otto, director of Madison County Community Development, was asked if the county had reached out to the city of Edwardsville, he said they had not, and it would be up to the entity submitting a proposal to do so.