Homeless Shelter Coming to Ashburn - Meeting Oct.23

[CdnJess]

Hi.
I just received this piece of news from a member of the Broadlands MOM's Club. I thought I would pass this on as there will be a Board Meeting on Tuesday, 10/23 at 6 PM at the Lakes Recreation Center on Cheltenham Circle. It may be wise to have Broadlands HOA representation to hear/voice any concerns to the impact this will have to our neighbourhood.

The details of the original email are below. Note that messages have modified to protect previous senders.

Thank you.
CDNjess

You can link to the original article here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...102000018.html

--------------------
(ORIGINAL EMAIL)

Hi Ladies, My husband just sent me this email from a friend of ours about the homeless shelter planned for Ashburn Road in Old Town, near the firehouse. I thought some of you might be interested in attending the meeting on the 23rd. Rachael

-------------- Forwarded Message: --------------

Subject: Fw: [MOMSClubofAshburnVA] Good Shepherd Aliiance homeless shelter
Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2007 13:44:57 +0000

Subject Fw: [MOMSClubofAshburnVA] Good Shepherd Aliiance homeless shelter

FYI...........by t! he dance center off Ashburn Rd.

-------------------------

Sent: Mon, 22 Oct 2007 9:13 am
Subject: Fwd: [MOMSClubofAshburnVA] Good Shepherd Aliiance homeless shelter

Hello Bleu Dance, I thought you would be interested in the below
discussion about a homeless meal center, shower location, and thrift shop
next to the Ashburn Studio. The site will expand to 7,000 sq. ft. directly
behind the dance studio and may cause some concern. The below discussion
mentions a 10/23 meeting in Ashburn Village about the plans...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...102000018.html


-----Original Message-----
Sent: Sun, 21 Oct 2007 10:59 pm
Subject: [MOMSClubofAshbur! n] Good Shepherd Aliiance homeless shelter

Ladies, BR>
A parent on my son's soccer team sent out an email tonight about the new
Good Shepherd Alliance homeless shelter that is about to be built on
Ashburn Road (behind the fire station). I am copying his email to share
the information with you. This shelter is something you should be aware
of. There will be a board meeting on the matter on Tues. 10/23 at 6 PM at
the Lakes Recreation Center on Cheltenham Circle. The opening of the
shelter was detailed in the Washington Post's Loudoun Extra today. This
new facility was made out to be just a thrift store and administrative
offices, but will actually serve the daily needs of homeless individuals,
some who have been released from prison and have nowhere else to go.

Sincerely,
Carol C.

ASHBURN RESIDENTS: THIS EMAIL REFERS TO THE NEW HOMELESS SHELTER ABOUT TO
BE BUILT ON ASHBURN ROAD. THE CONTENT IN THIS EMAIL AFFECTS ALL OF US
THROUGHOUT ASHBURN, VA. PLEASE FOR! WARD IT ON TO AS MANY ASHBURN RESIDENTS
AS POSSIBLE. WE CANNOT LET THIS NEW CENTER, WHICH HAS BEEN SUPPORTED BY
MANY OF OUR REPRESENTATIVES, ENDANGER OUR CHILDREN AND DEGRADE OUR PROPERTY
VALUES! PLEASE COME TO THE ASHBURN VILLAGE BOARD MEETING TO VOICE YOUR
CONCERNS ON TUES. OCT. 23 AT 6PM AT THE LAKES RECREATION CENTER ON
CHELTENHAM CIRCLE.

Ms. Waters...

In today's Washington Post Loudoun Extra, some of the residents (not nearly
as many that will in the coming days) in our community just found out about
the groundbreaking for a homeless shelter for the Good Shepherd Alliance.
In previous articles in Leesburg Today and Loudoun Easterner, it was made
out to be just a thrift store and a place for administrative offices for
GSA. Now, according to the article, it will actually serve the daily needs
of homeless individuals and, in some cases, people who have just been
released from prison who have nowhere else to go. And, ! according to today's
article in the Post, we understand there are plans to expand the facility.

LET ME BE CLEAR: We believe the approval of and true intent of this
facility has been deliberately kept under the radar so as to push it
through without communicating the facility's purpose with Ashburn
residents. We believe the center, our representatives, and Toll Brothers
has purposefully not engaged in any significant community outreach about
this facility.

My wife and I have been residents of Ashburn Village for seven years, but
four years ago we moved to a single family house on Blue Water Ct. This
street is right behind the small strip plaza on old Ashburn Rd. with a
7-Eleven in it. Since that strip mall has been added, we have seen a
significant increase of foot traffic on our street and vandalism to our
homes and property. Of most concern is foot traffic from a hidden place
near the north side of the fence behin! d the p laza, which runs right through
our neighbor's backyard and into our street's cul-de-sac. This is where our
children play. People cut through our neighbor's backyard, go into the
cul-de-sac, and walk down our street. Just a week ago, I witnessed two
individuals walk onto our street, sit on the curb, and make a phone call.
After about 30 minutes, a van arrived and picked them up. They obviously
had to reason to be walking our streets. We fear this will happen to us in
greater frequency if the new center is opened, putting our children and
adult residences at risk and reducing our property values.

Tonight, a petition is circulating expressing extreme displeasure about the
new center. We have signed that petition as have almost all of our
neighbors that know about the center, even though many of us just found out
about it tonight. We are aware that there is an Ashburn Village board
meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 6pm (at t! he Lake s Recreation Ctr. on
Cheltenham Circle). I can assure you there will be many of us in attendance
at that meeting. In addition, I would like an opportunity to speak with you
about this as well.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Jeff and Sherry L.

[LvBlands3]

Does anyone have a spare minivan or SUV for a homeless family to live in? I guess that would be better than a shelter? Or, just NIMBY?

Maybe we should listen first before getting the lynch mob fired up.

God bless you.

[afgm]

What is wrong with people. Does our community have any compassion for anything other than self-interest? Newsflash: LOUDOUN HAS HOMELESS PEOPLE.

Jeez, the place is open only during business hours. It's not a shelter, it's offices and support facilities. Good Shepherd Alliance is one of the most important charities we have in Loudoun.

[Lee]

Junk architecture OK (Flex Gas Stations etc) can't have homeless tho. ha ha ha ha ha I got it junk architecture bad neighbor developments don't move and move around but homeless people move all over. hmmmmmmm interesting.
Before someone chimes in the two both are a reflection on some peoples thinking and character, books written on it. what people will accept and what they will not!!!!!!

Lee j

[GeauxTigers]

Originally Posted by Lee

Junk architecture OK (Flex Gas Stations etc) can't have homeless tho. ha ha ha ha ha I got it junk architecture bad neighbor developments don't move and move around but homeless people move all over. hmmmmmmm interesting.
Before someone chimes in the two both are a reflection on some peoples thinking and character, books written on it. what people will accept and what they will not!!!!!!

Lee j

Lee, been drinking again?

[sunnydog]

From today's leesburg2day.com:
http://www.leesburg2day.com/articles...8gsa102207.txt

And yes Ashburn, there are homeless people in the woods and in our communities.
Homelessness continues to rise and people who find themselves in such unfortunate circumstances are blessed to have the limited resources available to them.
I am totally disgusted in the NIMBYism and the hippocrasy in this area.
I could rant on and on but I'll stop now.

[Lee]

Originally Posted by GeauxTigers

Lee, been drinking again?

Not yet and rarely but tomorrow night at happy hour I think I will need a couple to face this crowd.

there are many books on architecture and psychology tho , maybe I will bring a few

I could of been homeless myself if it was not for family many years ago. I also have been writing a script for many years about a homeless architect So homeless and architecture is not a new subject to me seriously!!!!

Lee j

[sharse]

Originally Posted by GeauxTigers

Lee, been drinking again?

If so, bring it on over, my friend. I'm thirsty.

[Charlotte]

Until maybe 2005, Good Shepherd operated a shelter for homeless men in a small home where Brambleton is now located. I don't think it served more than a dozen men at a time, but it was an overnight shelter. It doesn't surprise me that Bob Ohneiser has never seen any homeless people in Loudoun County. Like Eugene DelGaudio has never seen any cows.

[RobVT3]

Originally Posted by afgm

What is wrong with people. Does our community have any compassion for anything other than self-interest? Newsflash: LOUDOUN HAS HOMELESS PEOPLE.

Jeez, the place is open only during business hours. It's not a shelter, it's offices and support facilities. Good Shepherd Alliance is one of the most important charities we have in Loudoun.

IMO the shelter will encourage more homeless people to come to our neighborhoods as Ashburn will then be seen as "homeless friendly". If that's something you would like to see, then by all means support it. Personally I have a hard time feeling compassionate for people who continually make bad decisions and then expect hard working people to feel guilty and take care of them. Of course their are exceptions but for the most part this is the kind of person we'll be attracting.