BOISE, Idaho — A small neighborhood association is challenging a decision made by the City of Boise in Idaho Supreme Court.
The City of Boise approved the Interfaith Sanctuary shelter to relocate to State Street behind the Veterans Park neighborhood near Boise’s North End.
The Veterans Park Neighborhood Association (VPNA) is challenging the City of Boise for the move approval for socioeconomic and safety reasons.
"Our socioeconomic demographics are some of the most challenged in the city, and so we didn't really think that putting a large congregate facility of additional people who are struggling would affect the neighborhood well," the VPNA President Katy Decker told KTVB Thursday.
The Interfaith Sanctuary building construction on State Street began in April 2023.
The shelter is planning to move into the building that was previously used by Salvation Army and is already in the process of remodeling. The facility will be 42,500 square feet with the ability to house 205 people per day.
When the project is completed, the shelter’s building will be within 20 feet of Veterans Park residents.
"There is concern when we see that the shelter generates this many property crimes in the area that we have not had here," Decker said.
Decker stated that Veterans Park is generally lower on a socioeconomic scale and worries that the neighborhood would not do well with additional struggling families or individuals.
"Ideally, this is a parcel that could be developed for more housing, rather than shelter, to give people a stable place to live and to attract a mixed income demographic, and I think that that would be a healthier thing for the neighborhood as a whole," Decker said.
The neighborhood association believes City of Boise did not comply with official codes when approving the project.
When KTVB contacted Interfaith Sanctuary about the lawsuit, they stated they had “no comment” on the matter in response to VPNA.
The VPNA, City of Boise, and Interfaith Sanctuary will be able to make statements and answer questions in court at the hearing on October 11. However, a decision will not be made at the hearing.
The hearing is open for people to attend in person, but public input will not be taken into consideration for the decision.