Homeless shelters can be broken down into three basic types. (this is important)
Emergency Shelters which provide short term accommodation.
Transitional Housing, which provide longer term living arrangements which help people transition to regular housing and independence.
Permanent Supportive Housing, which provides long term support of people with chronic issues.
Interfaith Sanctuary is an Emergency Shelter. Pay attention to this, it’s important. When it comes to discussing the impact of homeless shelters on the surrounding neighborhoods, advocates will often try and gaslight you by referring to studies performed on Transitional Housing or Permanent Supportive Housing.
If someone quotes a study, or an article, or anything, ask them if it’s about transitional housing or emergency housing. Note: if its positive, it will always be about transitional housing.
Valor Point is transitional and permanent supportive housing. It is designed as a longer term and sometimes permanent solution for our homeless veterans.
Interfaith Sanctuary likes to refer to themselves as a “program shelter”. This sounds great, but what it really means is it’s an emergency shelter than also offers programs. These programs are NOT a condition of shelter. They are optional.
Per Margaret Carmel’s 2019 article on Boise Homeless Shelters in the Idaho Press,
“Interfaith Sanctuary does not have any rules against coming to the shelter under the influence, although drugs and alcohol are not permitted on the property. When residents check in, they go through a security check for knives or other weapons. There are no other requirements to stay as long as residents do not steal, damage property or act violently.”
As Jodie is quoted as saying “behavioral issues is the thing that will remove you from our shelter. Nothing else.”
In fact, according the homeless, Interfaith Sanctuary has least restrictive rules compared to the other options per the article.
Interfaith Sanctuary also has programing to help support the medically fragile and families, but the majority of the their clients are single, and are geared towards sheltering the chronic homeless much more than the other shelters downtown.
In future posts, I will talk about what this means, and the issues that it presents.