HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-920 - Safe Camping Initiative (5)
CityClerk
From:Shaila Ratliff <shailarener@gmail.com>
Sent:Friday, June 13, 2025 7:50 PM
To:Agenda Item Comment
Subject:Unhoused Development
Categories:Forwarded, Jonathan
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Good evening,
My name is Shaila Ratliff, and I’m a resident of Park Meadows (1259 S. Nighthawk Ln), a fairly new community that many
of us have worked incredibly hard to build and maintain. Our homes are not just properties — they represent years of
hard work, financial investment, and a deep desire to create a safe, clean, and welcoming space to raise our families.
With that being said, I’m here to express deep concern about the proposed plan to place a homeless transitional
housing site adjacent to our neighborhood.
We understand that homelessness is a complex and growing issue in our city, especially with recent developments
involving the university buying out land that displaced many individuals currently experiencing homelessness. But
relocating these individuals into areas immediately bordering residential neighborhoods is not a sustainable or
responsible solution.
The site where many of the homeless currently reside has unfortunately become unsafe, both for them and the
surrounding community. It’s overrun with trash, drug paraphernalia, and in many cases, individuals who are not actively
seeking rehabilitation or employment. Simply shifting that same environment to a new location (especially one next to
families, children, and homes that we’ve worked incessantly to care for) raises serious concerns. We already struggle
with safety due to foot traffic and petty crime. Adding a high-risk encampment so close to our homes could significantly
decrease property values, increase crime, and diminish the safety and cleanliness we’ve fought to maintain.
This isn’t just a “not in my backyard” reaction. We all want real, humane solutions — ones that help individuals
transition out of homelessness with proper support, accountability, and services. But placing an unmanaged or loosely
governed encampment in the middle of a residential zone is not the answer. We ask the city to explore better options,
preferably ones that do not negatively affect the people who have worked without end to get to where they are.
Please do not jeopardize our safety and our investments without thoroughly exploring other solutions. We urge you to
protect neighborhoods like ours while also finding real, structured ways to address the homelessness crisis.
Thank you for your time,
S. Ratliff
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4796846731
ShailaReneR@gmail.com
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