The Niagara Falls Planning Board has sent a recommendation to the City Council to rezone three parcels of property for the construction of a new multi-unit facility to house homeless families.
The 10,000 square foot, two-story building would contain a mix of two and three-bedroom units designed only for family use. The rezoning would consolidate land parcels at 324 Portage Road, 1431 Robinson Court and 320 Portage Road into a single property and change the zoning from its existing C1-A (Neighborhood Commercial) to C2-A (Traditional Commercial).
Christian Hoffman, vice president of Public Relations & Development for Community Missions Niagara Frontier Inc., the project developer, said the rezoning was necessary to conform to state and local regulations that limit where homeless shelters can be located.
“For a few decades, we have been offering shelter for families,” Hoffman said. “But on Jan. 1, 2023, the rules changed.”
New York state regulations for the operations of public shelters were modified to prohibit the housing of both homeless families and individuals in the same location. Hoffman said the change was made because of concern for the safety and security of families, consisting of both adults and children.
The Community Missions executive said the average homeless family consists of 1.2 adults and 2.3 children. He said, “Twenty-eight percent of homeless children are 5 and under, while two-thirds are under 18.”
And the number of homeless families in Niagara County has jumped significantly in the past five years. In 2019, Hoffman said an average of 4 1/2 to 5 families were experiencing homelessness.
But in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, that average shot up to 22 families.
Combined with the change in state regulations on housing individuals and families together, Hoffman said the Niagara County Department of Social Services has been forced to “put families in motels on Niagara Falls Boulevard.”
“We think this makes a lot of sense,” Hoffman said, noting that the Portage Rad location is in proximity to county social services offices, a supermarket and a pharmacy.
The project, dubbed 324 Portage Family Shelter, carries an estimated $3 million price tag. Asked about a timeline for construction, Hoffman said it was “a couple of years out.”
If the city council approves the rezoning, the project would still need a special use permit from the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals and would have to return to the Planning Board for a site plan approval.
“I think this is a good location,” Planning Board Member John Spanbauer said. “I’d fully support a project like this.”