Cold Weather Shelter

[Judy Crondahl]

We have just received a copy of the email in opposition to a cold weather shelter at the Bill Ray Center sent by the Parkshore Condo Association. As Parkshore owners and residents, we would like to offer our thoughts in favor of a cold weather shelter in the neighborhood.

We have experienced some of the negative consequences referred to in the Parkshore email: bike theft (three to date), carport trespassing (too numerous to count), and our car being used as a “sleep-off center” (once). We have also observed people camping along the sea walk and along the shore of Gastineau Channel. We also recall at least one Juneau resident dying of exposure in the Gold Creek area. All of this has happened, not because we have a cold weather shelter in the neighborhood, but because we have a record number of homeless people in Juneau and because they have few options for emergency shelter. A cold weather shelter would provide one option that would be preferable (for all concerned) to sleeping outside or seeking shelter in a Parkshore picnic shelter. It would also give the CBJ an opportunity to assess services needed by this population for mental health or addiction treatment and permanent housing.

We hope you will take the interests of the whole community into consideration when making this decision.

Judy and Jay Crondahl