ATHENS, Ohio (WCMH) — To applause, Athens City Council on Monday unanimously approved allowing three temporary shelters for homeless residents.
“It is a planned, supervised, humane alternative to people freezing behind dumpsters,” councilmember Jessica Thomas said. “It is what common sense and compassion look like working together.”
Not all Athens residents agree, but the plan to place three temporary housing structures on North Congress Street will move forward. Proponents, including much of city council, said it will help address Athens’ homelessness problem. Opponents worry about the legality of the zoning change, and voiced safety concerns about their proximity to Athens Middle School and the city’s downtown.
Athens nonprofit The Gathering Place will erect and supervise three microshelters, called Conestoga huts, in their parking lot. The Gathering Place has served Athens residents for nearly 50 years, and sits less than 200 feet from Athens Middle School. It is also near Court Street, a central part of the city typically full of Ohio University students.
Councilmembers said the parking lot has cameras, a privacy fence and is visible from the sheriff’s office. Huts would be unlocked at night to allow people to sleep, then locked during the day once residents are gone. The huts are inexpensive and easy to assemble, and offer a twin bed, lockable door and window, and storage. Residents would have to be on an approved wellness plan to participate.
Although more speakers voiced support of the project than did not, opposition to the idea was still plentiful at council’s final consideration of the proposal.
“You remove people from city property because you don’t want them there, and then place them on display downtown, the hub of our community, close to our middle school where young girls and ladies of all ages feel uncomfortable,” Jack Stauffer, Athens resident who has spoken on behalf of several local business owners, said.
One girl, a seventh-grader at Athens Middle School, said she was not concerned about her safety, especially because the residents would not be there during the school day.
Aiden Fox, a student and formerly homeless person, said he supports aid programs, but took great issue with the dismissal of students who live near the proposed hut site. Fox said Ohio University students living near the property had their concerns brushed off unfairly. Stauffer pointed to the 2001 attempted rape of an Ohio University student by a homeless individual.
However, Mayor Steve Patterson said city crime statistics show students are far more likely to be harmed by their peers than by a homeless person. Patterson pointed to a high number of assaults at this year’s annual Halloween block party, none of which were perpetrated by homeless residents.
“It is typically gonna be the same age range that is our population here to go to school at Ohio University against another individual that same age range going to school at Ohio University. That’s fact,” Patterson said. “Rare, rare, if ever, has there been an unhoused individual that’s assaulting someone in the Uptown area.”
Opponents also pointed to legal concerns about the proposal. Law Director Lisa Eliason issued an opinion stating the huts could be subject to legal action, especially as there is not really past precedent in the city.
She said there could be spot zoning concerns, which refers to zoning that singles out one area for specific treatment. Eliason said allowing this to pass and stopping future, similar projects would open the door for differential treatment lawsuits.
Councilmembers acknowledged legal concerns, but said the project benefits outweigh any risks. Thomas said concerns about a rushed process were unfounded, as the project had been underway since 2023.
“This is one of those prime examples of creating fear over something that is unfounded,” Patterson, a health psychologist by trade, said. “Fear for people who found themselves one emergency room visit, one paycheck, one mental health crisis away from being unhoused.”
As the huts move forward, council may also consider allowing temporary housing in other areas in a zoning law change. The proposal had a public hearing, but has not seen further council action.
