BOISE, Idaho — Neighbors are pushing back against a Boise Church's plan to build a housing unit for men struggling to make ends meet.
"This is a dorm to help people with life skills, but at the same time, just because somebody has a history, or a background doesn't mean they will automatically be rejected," said Steven Neighbors, Mountain View Church of the Brethren administrative pastor said.
The dorm is part of their mission to help the area's most vulnerable people, he said.
The project is in the early stages. Neighbors said the church spent the last year slowly gathering input from the city and community to make the best proposal possible.
The West Boise church wants to build a three-story complex next to its building that would house 80-100 single men in need of affordable housing. That could include people who abused drugs and alcohol as well as people who used to be in prison.
"It's really hard for anyone who's a felon to find an apartment or a house or a trailer to rent," a former incarcerated person told KTVB. "So, it's a great idea to help transition people from prison or the halfway house into society."
Neighbors said everyone in the complex would be vetted, interviewed and approved through probation and parole if needed.
They would also have to have a job, be a Christian and attend various training and programs to help them better their lives. Rent would cost $450-550 a month.
"I'm not opposed to the project," community member Linda Trussell said. "But I am opposed to putting it here."
Trussell worries about safety.
"I see no real reason to put our children in danger to promote the lives of people who have made mistakes," she said, "and I'm sorry they have, and I totally think they should have a facility to rehabilitate them. I just find it unacceptable for this family neighborhood."
Trussell is not alone in her concerns. The church got roughly half a dozen comments against the project during a heated community meeting last week.
"I think if they would stop and look at what we're really doing, I believe we have been a community asset for the past decades, and I believe we will continue to be that," Neighbors said.
The church still needs to get approval from the City's Design Review Commission, Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council. People will be able to testify throughout the process.
Neighbors said they are also still trying to figure out how to pay for the project. He hopes donors step up.