Parents concerned about Burlington shelter proposal

By Matt Ryan, Burlington Free Press Staff Writer. Reposted from the BurlingtonFreePress.com, January 3, 2012. “Not in my preschool. That was the prevailing sentiment expressed by parents during a discussion Wednesday night on whether the gymnasium that preschoolers use at the North Avenue Alliance Church should moonlight as a winter overflow shelter for Burlington’s homeless population. As the temperature plunged below zero outside, Pastor Jim Stewart and representatives from various organizations described the shelter proposal to about 40 parents and congregants inside the church’s youth center. Assurances were made. Matt Young, head of the HowardCenter’s Street Outreach Team, said homeless guests, 10 at first, would be repeatedly screened every day by trained professionals, bused to the gym hours after the preschool closed and bused from the gym hours before it reopened. The gym would be cleaned and sanitized each morning, said Valerie Brousseau, community relations director at the Burlington Emergency Shelter. And the church could pull out of the program at any time, Stewart said.” Link to Full Burlington Free Press Article  PDF of Full Burlington Free Press Article

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