Waban home for chronically homeless draws backlash in Newton

A residence for the chronically homeless has been proposed for the old Engine 6 station in Waban, raising fears amongst residents about impacts on safety in the neighboring suburban community.

MetroWest Collaborative Development and Pine Street Inn have submitted a joint proposal to the city to spend $3 million to purchase and refurbish the 96-year-old former fire station at 2042 Beacon St., which is currently owned by the Hospice of the Good Sheppard. The plan would create 10 housing units, nine of which would be permanent studio apartments for men and women who live on the street or in emergency shelters and make less than $19,850 annually.

Pine Street Inn, which operates housing, job training, food and other resources for the homeless for hundreds of people throughout Greater Boston, will administer the site. MetroWest, a Watertown-based nonprofit focusing on affordable-housing developments, plans to finance the project through state and federal funding, with nearly half of that money coming from federal dollars administered by the city.

The property sits on the edge of a busy highway and a quiet suburban neighborhood in one of the wealthiest communities in the state. Located just off Route 16 by the Interstate 95 interchange, it’s across the street from Newton-Wellesley Hospital and about a mile from the village commercial center.

The developers say the project will meet the city’s need to add affordable housing and provide support for homeless individuals making concrete steps to better their lives. And while there are proponents in Waban and around the city, the project has received considerable backlash from residents who say they feel blindsided by a proposal that could endanger their safety and bring in a clientele that doesn’t fit with the character of their community.

“This is a terrible proposal for my neighborhood and the little children who live there,” said Karen Hardy of Neshobe Road. “I can’t believe the mayor would sign off on this; it’s shocking to me.”

Hardy was among the dozens who spoke at a community meeting on the matter hosted by the Ward 5 Aldermen on Thursday night at the Waban Library Center. The petitioners were asked not to attend.

Turnout was so high on Thursday that the crowd spilled out into the exterior walkway and at times emotions inside bubbled over as well. City officials were called liars and repeatedly criticized for what some perceived as a closed-door process, despite assertions that the project had gone through the appropriate channels that have been open to the public since MetroWest first submitted its plan in April.

Pine Street came under fire for its screening policies that could have allowed level-one sex offenders in, as well as individuals who had committed murder more than 20 years ago, rape more than 10 years ago and manslaughter more than seven years ago.

Pine Street on Friday told the TAB that effective immediately it would restructure its policies system wide. No one with a record of sexual offenses would be allowed in, nor would anyone who was convicted of murder or manslaughter.

Ralph Hughes, director of permanent housing at Pine Street, said the concerns were reasonable, though he noted the instances of these types of offenses turning up in applicants’ criminal background checks were extremely rare.

“We’ve actually been reviewing our whole CORI policy for some time,” said Hughes, “so it’s actually been really helpful to have that input from the community.”

Hughes said they would also be willing to work with the police to use its national database to review applicants’ criminal history beyond Massachusetts.

Tenants of Engine 6 would have their own bathroom and kitchenette, and a shared common area. A full-time staff member would live in the building and there would be administrative support for finding work and volunteer opportunities.

Pine Street Inn spokesperson Barbara Trevisan said the residents would be fairly independent and most occupants wouldn’t stand out in a crowd, despite some Waban residents’ attempts to paint these individuals as dangerous.

 “I totally understand people having questions about what this is going to mean, I totally get it,” said Trevisan. “But what is concerning to me is when people are drawing conclusions or there’s misinformation or finding the most out-there kind of things to say about the most extreme cases, which these people would not be.”

MetroWest and other nonprofit organizations were approached over the winter because the city had a large reserve of federal funding for affordable housing. MetroWest looked at a variety of sites in Newton and eventually decided on Engine 6, making it the only formal proposal the city received.

MetroWest, which is also among the bidders for the Austin Street parking lot in Newtonville, has never worked on projects that provide permanent housing for the homeless, but the options for the site were limited, according to Steve Laferriere, senior housing project manager for MetroWest.

In order to maintain some of the historic elements of the building, he said, three- and four-bedroom units wouldn’t fit, so studios were the only option. Laferriere said MetroWest reached out to Pine Street because it had experience with these types of units.

There are currently three organizations in Newton that provide sheltering for up 57 homeless or formerly homeless men, women and children, according to the city’s 2013 homeless census.

The Planning and Development Board and the Newton Housing Partnership have approved the plans for Engine 6. Mayor Setti Warren is expected to make a decision on the proposal’s funding requests to the city sometime after the public comment period closes on July 2.

Warren, who was criticized along with his staff throughout Thursday’s meeting for not doing enough to tell people about the project, did not return requests for comment.

If the state approves MetroWest’s 40B application, the project will move to the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals as the petitioners seek approval for a comprehensive permit.

MetroWest and Pine Street have been criticized for doing a poor job of laying out their vision for Engine 6 and responding to concerns from the community. Trevisan said Pine Street is putting together information to address the questions raised on Thursday in “as clear and as reasonable a fashion as possible.”

Another community meeting will be held at 7 p.m., on Thursday, June 27, at City Hall.

Alderman Deb Crossley said she is supportive of the notion of providing housing for the homeless, but there are questions that still have to be answered about the screening process, the staffing and the financial solvency.

“There’s an opportunity here,” said Crossley. “It seems like a good location. I think they should be able to make it work, but I want to see them make their case.”