GEORGETOWN, Del.- A new homeless shelter village is expected to come to Georgetown in the coming months.
Local non-profit, Springboard Collaborative, has received preliminary approval from the mayor and town council of Georgetown to build a 30-unit modular pallet village. The location for the village has not been announced yet.
Springboard Collaborative is working with other non-profits and the town to help solve Georgetown's homeless population. First State Community Action Group and The Shepherd's Office are two organizations partnering with Springboard.
Jim Martin, director of The Shepherd's Office, said the homeless community in Georgetown has grown over the years, and there is a major need for a village like this in the area.
"And what it does, is it provides a human being with the things they need to lift themselves up out of poverty," Martin said. "Cause once you're stuck down in poverty, it's so hard to rise up."
"The homeless community has a lot of resilience already," Martin continued. "If you give them a roof over there head and a door to lock, they can move forward. That resilience is already in them because they have survived as a homeless person for three to four years."
Member of the homeless community said they were excited to hear about the village.
"There's a lot of people out here who are struggling and need the help, they do," Victoria Pitt said. "Including myself just last year I was homeless, sleeping on a bench. You know, it could of helped."
Jason Easler has been homeless on and off for a year now and he said these villages would give an opportunity to start over.
"It would give me a sense of security," Easler said. "A sense of...one less worry. Maybe two or three less things to worry about."
Judson Malone, co-founder of The Springboard Collaborative said the non-profit has partnered with Pallet, which is a social purpose company. Pallet builds village shelters for those who are homeless.
Pallet shelters include:
- Lockable door/personal privacy/safety
- Rapid assembly
- 10 year product lifespan
- Heating and air conditioning
- Pest resistant
- Smoke detectors and fire extinguishers
- Electric connectivity kit
- Open-able windows and doors
A meeting to further discuss the village and the homelessness issues in Georgetown is set to take place on Nov. 12 at 10 a.m. at Georgetown Town Hall.
