IFC Pulls Proposed Changes to Good Neighbor Plan

The Inter-Faith Council for Social Service has put off a proposal to alter the Good Neighbor Plan for the non-profit’s Community House men’s shelter.

Earlier this year, IFC leadership proposed changes to the plan that was agreed to and approved in 2012 as the organization was initially proposing the 52-bed transitional housing facility.

Officials said the proposal would change the shelter’s designation from the Transitional Housing to an Emergency Shelter. But some neighbors of the shelter on Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard were critical of the proposed changes.

“The GNP update was intended to be a starting point to facilitate an inclusive, thoughtful, transparent community conversation about how we can end homelessness for people currently unable to access Community House,” IFC executive director Jackie Jenks wrote in a message posted on the organization’s website.

Leadership of the non-profit added that they have received “valuable input” on the proposals. “However, we want to ensure broader dissemination of accurate information to get constructive input from a greater, more diverse number of stakeholders.”

Some of the changes were aimed at using alternate terminology, eliminating redundancies and streamlining the services the non-profit offers. Others would be more substantial changes to the Good Neighbor Plan, including dropping some barriers to entry at the facility.

Jenks wrote that the IFC has decided “not to seek action on the GNP this fall, and we have removed the proposed GNP update document from our website.”

Jenks wrote that rather than moving forward with the proposal, “we encourage all community stakeholders to anticipate and engage in a collaborative process for developing solutions to the unmet needs of our neighbors experiencing homelessness.”

Any changes ultimately proposed to the plan would have to be approved by the Chapel Hill Town Council.

Photo: Cots set up for extra beds on cold nights at IFC shelter / Photo via Chris Horton