BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – A proposal to build a homeless shelter in Broward County’s city of Oakland Park is stirring controversy, with residents rallying against what they see as an ill-fitting location.
Nestled among townhouses, schools, and daycares, the proposed site has sparked a wave of concern—so much so that neighbors have launched a Change.org petition, determined to make their voices heard.
“Why keep dumping stuff back here?” questioned concerned resident, Eric Peterson questioned. “Why is it that the less desirable projects go on this side of town, but the nicer projects go elsewhere?”
Peterson said the city is already fighting a vagrancy problem while trying to draw in business, citing promises by commissioners to revitalize the area.
“This is the project that can revitalize and bring growth to the west side?” said one resident, during last week’s Oakland Park City Commission Meeting.
The proposal, put forward by Covenant House Florida, would transform an existing building into a youth center and emergency crisis shelter at 2880 West Oakland Park Boulevard.
While supporters say the project could bring much-needed resources to fight homelessness, others argue it’s not appropriate for a family-friendly neighborhood.
“Covenant House deserves to exist,” said the owner of an adjacent preschool, Mairim Hernandez. “They just don’t deserve to exist next to a preschool or in a family neighborhood.”
According to records, Covenant House says its current building on Fort Lauderdale Beach is nearing the “end of its life expectancy.” They’ve explored several relocation options, but none have worked out—leading them to the Oakland Park site.
Shannon Vezina, Public Information Officer for the city of Oakland Park, wrote, “A Development Permit application was submitted for a Covenant House proposal at 2880 West Oakland Park Boulevard.
“In accordance with the City’s Land Development Code, the city is obligated to accept and process all properly submitted applications.”
Some residents went as far as pulling ‘calls for service’ statistics to the Fort Lauderdale location, citing issues with drug use, vagrancy, and violence.
In an email to Local 10 News, Vezina said the application is “in the early stages of review by the Development Review Committee, DRC, to assess compliance with all applicable regulations.”
The DRC meets monthly at publicly noticed meetings. The process is expected to take several more months before the proposal moves forward.
Here is the schedule of the related public meetings at Oakland Park City Hall:
- Mar 13 & Mar 27 - DRC (TBD)
- Apr 7 - Planning & Zoning Board
- Apr 16 - City Commission
Proposed location