July 26, 2007 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

Church shelves shelter plans
by KRISTIN PAZULSKI

Christ Ascension Church decided Monday not to go forward with proposed plans for a cooperative family house, which would have sheltered two to three homeless families in its parsonage on W. Southampton Avenue.

Its church council met on Monday to decide whether to continue conversation with the neighbors regarding the home. But after a meeting on July 16, where many of the neighbors voiced opposition to the project, some strongly so, the council decided not to further pursue the cooperative living home.

Northwest Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network, situated in Mt. Airy, was going to manage the house and had approached the near neighbors about the plan on July 16.

Rachel Falkove, executive director of NPIHN, made it clear that plans for the house would not go forward without support from the home’s neighbors and that the meeting was simply to facilitate conversation and gauge support or opposition.

Since there seemed to be more adamant opposition than support, the council decided not to pursue it.

NPIHN already orchestrates a sheltering program in the Northwest for homeless families. It works with 28 local churches and congregations, which house the families in church facilities or offer cooking and mentoring volunteers to NPIHN’s program.

The cooperative housing was going to be a new program for NPIHN, though similar to its current one. The cooperative house would give NPIHN families that prove they are reliable but have hit hard financial times, the chance to function and live independently for very low cost.

Falkove said after the July 16 meeting, when it was obvious the plan for Christ Ascension was unlikely to move forward, that she’s interested in pursuing partnerships with other churches to establish cooperative housing.

“I’m hoping we can find a street that will want to engage in this kind of program,” she said.