GEORGETOWN, Del.- The Springboard Collaborative and First State Community Action Agency have reached an agreement to put pallet homes in for the homeless.
It will be a two year pilot program with the option to renew every two years after that.
Executive Director of Springboard Judson Malone says the plan has been talked about and improved to get to this point.
"We got a lease agreement to this property," Malone said. "It’s undeveloped right now. We’ll be improving it considerably to put the pallet village here. The other thing we have is a memorandum of understanding because there are so many services that First State has that will assist the homeless population here in their backyard."
The 64 square foot pallets have one or two beds with electricity, heat and/or air conditioning, and spaces to store items.
The site plan covers an acre. The main village area will have the 44 pallets and two bathroom buildings with showers and toilets. There is also space for storage units, a stormwater management facility, a community building, and a gathering building. There will also be a welcome center and parking lot with spots for people who have cars.
The goal is to have people stay for about a month or so and then Springboard can work on a housing plan for them and provide support and a few months rent if needed. Executive Director of First State Community Action Agency Bernice Edwards says there are many programs aimed to help people during and after their stay.
"Through case management and through support systems," Edwards said. "We have 21 different anti-poverty programs that we house here. So those programs will be able to help those individuals who are in the pallets."
Mayor of Georgetown Bill West says approving the village was a no-brainer and that the approach to fix homelessness had to change.
"This is a great opportunity to get them inside," Mayor West said. "To get them into a shelter that they can call their own and get some life back to them."
Malone says that there are still some approvals that are needed from agencies like the Georgetown Fire Department and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources. Once that happens, construction will be able to begin and he hopes to be up and running by the Fall.