Planners OK shelter proposal

Camp would assist homeless

FAYETTEVILLE — Planning commissioners on Monday signed off on an idea to bring an encampment of small shelters for homeless residents to the southeast end of town and will later address the plan’s specific details.

The New Beginnings Community would put 20 A-frame microshelters, along with a 2,900-squarefoot central service building, on about 5 acres just south of 19th Street at South School Avenue. The property sits next door to 7 Hills Homeless Center.

The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, owns the land, as well as about 30 more wooded acres to the east and just more than 20 acres north of that. Representatives with ServeNWA, the nonprofit organization behind the community, have said the campus will serve as the base for a transitional housing program. The nonprofit organization intends to buy the 5 acres from the university.

Kevin Fitzpatrick, director of the university’s Community and Family Institute and ServeNWA board member, said the latest version of the proposal includes characteristics of

similar camps nationwide. The central building would feature showers, toilets and washing areas.

The shelters would have some sort of heating and air conditioning system. Clusters of three to four shelters at a time would share a fire pit.

Commissioners looked at the plan about a month ago and asked for some design changes. A fence along the east side of the property now will separate the campus from the additional acreage. The camp itself also has a fence surrounding it.

The Planning Commission on Monday approved a permit to let ServeNWA put the microshelter camp on the property. The commission will have to renew the permit after five years as a condition of its approval.