"I was out in the woods by myself."
— Annette, Hope Harbor resident
- As unhoused neighbors face frigid temperatures, administrators of Hope Harbor — a Hillsdale homeless shelter — say they are having difficulty getting a permit from the City to operate.
- Hope Harbor houses some of those who previously lived in "Camp Hope" — a makeshift homeless shelter that operated behind Hillsdale Community Thrift until it was condemned and demolished by the City.
- Hope Harbor administrators say they have one more chance to make their case to the City before the Zoning Board.
For some of our unhoused neighbors, home this winter could be an encampment like the one you see behind me.
"We had like three blankets stacked on top of each other, and I would put my cat up underneath there, and I would tuck in all around, and my cat and I kept each other warm," says Annette, who now lives at Hope Harbor in Hillsdale.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
On a day like this, living in a tent, if you're not careful, could be a question of life and death.
"All you got really to keep you warm is pretty much whatever blanket you have with you, or if you have a fire going," says Jonathan — a new resident of Hope Harbor.
"I estimate there's probably at least ten tents still left," says Melissa DesJardin, founder of Camp Hope — a makeshift shelter that operated behind Hillsdale Community Thrift until it was condemned and demolished by the City of Hillsdale in October.
It previously housed more than a dozen homeless.
DesJardin moved the residents of Camp Hope into an adjacent building that is now called Hope Harbor. Some recently delivered bunk beds cleared up some floor space and allow Hope Harbor to accommodate up to 16 individuals.
But Hope Harbor is having difficulties getting a permit from the City of Hillsdale. Hope Harbor Board President Keri Stewart says the rules seem to require that housing in this area not be on the ground floor.
She says there's one more chance to go before the zoning board and request a special variance. After that, the matter could end up in court.
SEE OUR PREVIOUS COVERAGE OF CAMP HOPE AND HOPE HARBOR HERE.
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