Boise’s Interfaith Sanctuary buys State Street building, moves ahead despite opposition

Hayley Harding
·3 min read

Interfaith Sanctuary is moving forward with its application to convert a former Salvation Army thrift store into a shelter for homeless families and individuals.

Jodi Peterson, the shelter’s executive director, submitted an application for the change on Tuesday. Peterson confirmed to the Statesman that the shelter had completed its purchase of the new property.

The plan is for the shelter to move from its downtown location, 1620 W. River Street, to the Veterans Park neighborhood, 4306 W. State St.

“The interior of the existing facilities will be renovated to provide housing for homeless families, single men, single women and medically fragile individuals,” the application says. “In addition to the housing component, operational facilities such as administrative offices, caseworker offices, recovery program classrooms, community rooms, a computer room, laundry facilities and client intake areas will be located in the larger building.”

The changes also would include a new day center on the northwest corner of the property, which might not happen immediately, depending on fundraising, the application notes. Unused open space “will be developed for daily client use.”

New renderings were not immediately available for the new shelter.

Tuesday’s news comes as neighbors have continued to protest against the new location. Those living near the area have spoken out during an open house as well as during an online forum, saying they are afraid of everything from dropping property values to the safety of their children.

Neighbors even staged a “traffic jam” last weekend, KTVB reported.

Many critics believe that the process has been rushed and that the team looking to move the shelter has not properly examined the neighborhood. Peterson told the Statesman in January that her team chose the location for its “thoughtful neighbors that have shown acceptance,” citing Valor Pointe, a 27-unit apartment complex funded in part by the city of Boise.

Valor Pointe, at 4203 W. State, almost directly across the street from the Salvation Army building, houses veterans and provides them with services.

But some neighbors have committed to opposing the relocation. The Veterans Park Neighborhood Association collected donations to hire lawyers and “other professional advisers” to oppose the project at the city level.

Peterson said the shelter has been modified to try to address some neighborhood concerns, including scaling back plans on the size and scale of the building. The most recent plans, she said earlier this month, still would serve 200 people, which is more than the 140 the current River Street location can hold. The original proposal on State Street was to accommodate as many as 276 people.

“We’ve adjusted based on the demands,” Peterson said Tuesday. “What can we accomplish with this project? What are the priorities?”

She said current plans allow for the shelter to serve 94 family members, with space for cribs in individual rooms. There are also “supportive beds” for seniors and those who have special medical needs, which she said would allow for privacy and health services.

There also be private and semi-private rooms for those who “are sustained, employed and on housing lists, but stuck because there is no housing available,” Peterson said. People who engage in programming and who are employed are eligible for “incentive beds,” or dorm-style spaces with places to store possessions.

Emergency beds for those who simply need a place to sleep also will be available.

Peterson has previously said the total cost of the relocation would come to about $5 million, split almost evenly between the cost of the building and the cost of renovations. Much of that money is coming from donations, including $1.5 million from the Idaho Housing and Finance Association. A private loan will help cover part of the cost, she said.

The shelter’s application for a conditional use permit will have to go before the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission. It did not appear Tuesday that a date had yet been set for that. Depending on how quickly the application moves through the process, the shelter’s new location could open as soon as March 2022.

Recommended Stories

  • US Navy fires warning shots in new tense encounter with Iran

    An American warship fired warning shots when vessels of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard came too close to a patrol in the Persian Gulf, the U.S. Navy said Wednesday. The Navy released black-and-white footage of the encounter Monday night in international waters of the northern reaches of the Persian Gulf. Iran did not immediately acknowledge the incident.

  • Zhao, McDormand backstage at the Oscars

    Video shows Oscar winners including "Nomadland" director Chloé Zhao and the best picture-winning film's producer and star Frances McDormand backstage at the Academy Awards. (April 27)

  • U.S. sending India help 'immediately': Biden

    India is now the epicenter of the global coronavirus pandemic as a second wave of infections has driven the death toll up to almost 200,000.On Tuesday, vital medical supplies began to reach the country of 1.35 billion people but hospitals starved of life-saving oxygen and beds still were turning away coronavirus patients.The United States and other countries pledged urgent medical aid to try to contain the emergency in India.

  • How magic shrooms affect your brain

    Psilocybin, the psychoactive compound in "magic" mushrooms, triggers changes in your brain that may help combat depression and addiction.

  • OnlyFans has boomed during lockdown. Users spent $2.4 billion on the adult-entertainment site in 2020, and 120 million people now use it.

    OnlyFans, the adult-content sharing site, now has 120 million users. Creators sell video clips and photos to their audience for up to $50 a month.

  • CEO fired after being caught on camera mocking boy for wearing a dress to prom

    ‘I think clothing should just be taken as a piece of cloth and nothing more,’ says Stevens

  • Samsung's Lee family to pay more than 12 trln won inheritance taxes

    SEOUL (Reuters) -The family of deceased Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Kun-hee said on Wednesday it will pay more than 12 trillion won ($10.78 billion) in inheritance taxes for the estate of the late patriarch. Lee, who is credited with transforming Samsung into the world's largest smartphone and memory chip maker, died on Oct. 25. The Lee family's handling of the hefty inheritance tax bill - one of the largest ever in both Korea and globally - had been closely watched as it could have resulted in the dilution of the family's controlling stake in Samsung.

  • ‘Aggressive’ bee attack kills one, sends another to the hospital, Texas officials say

    “First responders were faced with the daunting task of patient care and treatment during the attack.”

  • Largest firefighting plane may be sold for COVID-19 response

    As Western states prepare for this year’s wildfire season, the world’s largest firefighting plane has been grounded and could be converted to help fight against another crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic. After investing tens of millions into upgrading the Global SuperTanker and its technology, the revenue coming mostly from contracts with the U.S. government and California did not produce enough profit for the company to continue the funding the tanker, said Roger Miller, managing director at Alterna Capital Partners LLC, the investment company that owns the plane. Alterna's decision to ground the SuperTanker was made on April 19, according to the firm, which had funded the plane’s operations and upgrades since 2016.

  • BBC breaks rank over Boris Johnson comments – but is it being used as a pawn in a revenge game?

    It was a subtle yet significant shift in the way the BBC and ITV report political stories. The state broadcaster and its commercial rival would ordinarily shy away from confirming newspaper reports that had been categorically denied by Downing Street. Yet in the case of Boris Johnson allegedly declaring that he would rather see “bodies pile high in their thousands” than order a third lockdown, both appear to have made an intriguing exception. On Monday, the Prime Minister completely rebuffed claims he had made the controversial remark last autumn after agreeing to a second lockdown – answering “no” when asked if he uttered the comment. It came after he had earlier branded the reports “total, total rubbish”. Yet that did not stop both the BBC and ITV leading their evening news bulletins by citing sources who contradicted the rebuttal of the high-vis jacket-wearing PM, pictured below.

  • Thai Princess Shuts Down Koh Samui Beach For Private Vacation as COVID Surges

    Pascal Le Segretain / Getty ImagesIt’s a lovely time of year in Thailand, and Princess Sirivannavari, daughter of the unpredictable King Maha Vajiralongkorn, is determined to enjoy it.With less than impeccable timing, Sirivannavari has decided it’s time for a diving vacation.King of Thailand Allegedly Ruling His Nation From German Ski Resort With a Retinue of ConcubinesHer alleged jaunt to the island paradise of Koh Samui comes as the country reels under a virulent third wave of the coronavirus, a disastrous vaccine rollout marred by cronyism, a complete shutdown of the pivotal international tourist trade, and a political crisis that has resulted in a jailed anti-monarchy and pro-democracy campaigner being desperately ill after a 42-day hunger strike.Most of the kingdom is tightening travel restrictions and imposing quarantine requirements, but Sirivannavari has been gaily sharing images from the holiday on her private Instagram account, which have been published by subscription newsletter Secret Siam.Secret Siam, which has become a go-to source for those interested in the day to day abuses of power by Thailand’s elite, is authored by Andrew MacGregor Marshall, a former Reuters bureau chief in Bangkok, who is free to quote his Thai sources without fear of the country’s draconian censorship laws as he no longer lives in Asia.MacGregor Marshall says that orange flags bearing Sirivannavari’s royal crest have been raised around the island and that there is a heavy security presence with five naval vessels anchored off local beauty spot Crystal Bay. Sail Rock, between Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, widely regarded as the best dive site in the Gulf of Thailand, has been completely closed to all other boats, with local diving companies told to stay away during her trip.MacGregor Marshall suggests that Sirivannavari’s holiday may be to celebrate the publication of her latest book, The Princess’ Dog Diary 2, about her beloved Yorkshire terrier Perfume, which was launched at the Mandarin Oriental on April 17.The behavior is wearyingly familiar to observers of the corrupt Thai royal family: a trip to Phuket and surrounding islands with a large entourage of high-society friends at New Year in 2020 caused chaos with fishing boats, ferries, and tourist cruises banned from large swaths of the ocean.The Thai royal family does not typically respond to press inquiries but a request for comment was sent to the Thai embassy in London. In comparison with her father’s peccadilloes, Sirivannavari’s vacation habits are small beer. The king’s transgressions include bigamy, allegedly breaking his sisters’ ankles by jumping on her legs when she complained about the bigamy, maintaining a harem of 20 concubines in Germany, building up an extraordinary fleet of 38 jets and helicopters for the exclusive use of the Thai royal family, and expropriating the country’s $30 billion sovereign wealth fund for his personal use, making him the world’s richest monarch.A video leaked on the internet of a birthday party being held—in Caligula-esque style—on behalf of his dog, a white poodle named Foo Foo, gave global insight into the king’s unorthodox lifestyle. The video, which the Thai authorities have never been able to fully suppress, shows his then-wife, Princess Srirasmi, wearing a G-string and feeding cake to the dog as courtiers crawl on the floor around them. Foo Foo was also the unintended star of a 2007 reception hosted by U.S. Ambassador Ralph “Skip” Boyce. “Foo Foo was... dressed in formal evening attire complete with paw mitts, and at one point during the band’s second number, he jumped up onto the head table and began lapping from the guests’ water glasses,” Boyce wrote, according to a WikiLeaks document.Another note written by the U.S. ambassador to Thailand in 2009, Eric John, and published in the Wikileaks cable dump, stated: “Vajiralongkorn is believed to be suffering from a blood-related medical condition (varying sources claim he is either: HIV-positive; has hepatitis C; is afflicted by a rare form of ‘blood cancer’ or some combination which leads to regular blood transfusions).”The Thai authorities have never commented on the allegations.Even with the high bar of her father’s eccentricities, the princess’ high-handed insistence on ordering large areas of the sea to be closed so she can enjoy herself far from the prying eyes of commoners cannot help but mark a sharp contrast to the devastation sweeping the country. Having successfully managed the first wave of the pandemic with relatively few cases, Thailand has been hit hard by a new wave of coronavirus.There were 2,048 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, and 8 deaths, local media reported.The country has stumbled badly on vaccines, with the government handing the contract for domestic production of 61 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to a royal-owned company, Siam Bioscience, in an attempt to boost the royal family’s popularity. The results have been a predictably slow rollout of vaccines. This has not stopped the royalist Prime Minister, and leader of Thailand’s 2014 coup, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, from praising the palace and promoting royal propaganda on live TV addresses.Pushing back is dangerous: Thai police on Tuesday charged banned opposition politician Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit with defaming the monarchy after he said the government had mishandled the vaccine campaign and had given an unfair advantage to the king’s company on a Facebook live stream.Juangroongruangkit is just the latest to fall afoul of strict laws preventing direct criticism of the monarch, his household, and even his pets.Last year there was a mood of open defiance and a series of student-led protests unnerved the government. Opponents of the commanding position and privilege of the Thai royal family were briefly emboldened as rallies by student protesters against the establishment grew.However, the leaders of the protests were subsequently rounded up and jailed, most notably Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak.Chiwarak has now been on a hunger strike for more than 42 days.In recent court appearances, Chiwarak has been extremely weak and used a wheelchair.When Princess Sirivannavari returns from her vacation, it is believed her attention will turn to her horses as part of her ongoing campaign to represent Thailand in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

  • Europe to set a global vaccine passport standard

    Europe seems poised to set the global standard for vaccine passports, now that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has signaled that vaccinated Americans will be allowed to travel to the continent this summer.Why it matters: Opening up travel to vaccinated Americans will bring new urgency to creating some kind of trusted means for people to prove they've been vaccinated.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.The big picture: There will probably never be a single credential that most people use to prove they've been vaccinated, for every purpose.But the EU's system will help set a standard for a proof of vaccination that's both easily accessible and difficult to forge.The U.S. is being closely consulted on the European passport, so any future American system will likely use similar protocols.Details: Informal mechanisms like simply asking someone whether they're had a shot can suffice in many situations. A system for international travel will likely be far more stringent. And there's a wide middle, too.Other activities that don't need the same rigorous standards as international travel could rely on the CDC's vaccination cards; options like a printed QR code, similar to what's been proposed by PathCheck; or a digital QR code, like the ones created by CommonPass or the Vaccine Credential Initiative.There may be some state-issued credentials, like the Excelsior Pass in New York.A national credential is theoretically possible, and could be linked to the biometric information that already exists on many chipped passports — the World Health Organization is working with Estonia to develop something along those lines — but that would meet steep political resistance in the U.S.The bottom line: The world of vaccine passports is almost certainly going to end up as a mishmash of different credentials for different activities, rather than a single credential used by everybody for everything. Go deeper: Americans will likely have to navigate a maze of vaccine "passports"More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free

  • Five things to know about Apple's iOS update

    New update includes new privacy features, emojis and a way of turning on an iPhone with a mask on.

  • Albania's Socialists win election, gain 3rd straight mandate

    Albania’s left-wing Socialist Party has secured its third consecutive mandate in a parliamentary election, winning nearly one in two votes and enough seats in parliament to govern alone, electoral authorities said on Tuesday. The Central Election Commission said that with 98% of the ballots from Sunday's voting counted, Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialists had won 49% of the vote and 74 of parliament's 140 seats. The main opposition center-right Democratic Party got 39% of the ballots and 59 seats.

  • What you need to know if you are thinking of cruising this summer

    In a workaround to avoid CDC oversight, cruise companies are starting cruises from the Caribbean and Mediterranean this summer amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Here is what you need to know.

  • Lawmakers, defense officials joust over next-gen ICBM plans

    The war over a next-gen ICBM flared up at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.

  • Driver with a suspended license accused of killing a Miami-Dade teen in a hit-and-run

    A Miramar man has been charged with slamming his Mercedes into bicycle rider Derek Betancourt, then leaving the teen for dead on a busy Northwest Miami-Dade street last year.

  • Couple hides in bedroom after bear walks into their California home looking for food

    “He went through my whole pantry.”

  • The US Army wants to regain 'dominance' in the Arctic, and it's looking all over the world for help

    How to ensure Army units can operate in harsh Arctic environments is "the million-dollar question," the head of US Army Alaska told Insider.

  • DoorDash offers lower-priced delivery plans amid criticism

    DoorDash is launching lower-priced delivery options for U.S. restaurants, responding to criticism that the commissions it charges are too high for the beleaguered industry. The San Francisco delivery company said Tuesday it will offer a new basic plan that will charge restaurants 15% per order for delivery, or around half the cost of previous plans. Restaurants can pay more — commissions of 25% or 30% — for other plans if they want a larger delivery area, more visibility in DoorDash’s app or lower customer delivery fees.