As residents and business owners of Oakland Park, we are deeply concerned about the recent proposal by Covenant House Florida to establish a homeless shelter at 2880 W Oakland Park Blvd, in close proximity many schools (including the preschool right next door), homes, and established businesses within our neighborhood.

We strongly urge the Oakland Park city commission to reject this application.

Click here to view an information packet that outlines the risks that the proposed shelter presents to the community.

From the applicant's own web site: "Our emergency/crisis shelter is a short-term program ... for people who have lived on the streets ... They often face mental health challenges ranging from depression to drug addiction to post-traumatic stress disorder ... They come and go by their own choice ... We don't have any way of tracking them unless they get in touch with us."

According to our city's own law enforcement, crime and vagrancy are rampant in the area. A shelter of this type with no requirements for treatment or minimum stays will only exacerbate the challenges we are already facing.

Our city officials continue to promote Oakland Park as a "city on the rise" with its stated goal of being a "drive-to" destination rather than a "drive-thru" corridor. Our community is in desperate need of services and facilities such as shopping centers, grocery stores, restaurants, and leisure spots to improve our overall quality of life and reinvigorate our western neighborhoods.

The applicant's current plans are in direct opposition to Oakland Park's stated vision for the west side, which is "to identify catalytic sites to serve as community and economic anchors; to encourage walkable commercial development; to identify strategies for redevelopment and revitalization on the west side of the city; and to alleviate food scarcity in the area and encourage additional food options west of I-95."

It is essential the city commission understands that approving this conditional use permit will discourage future business interest in the area, thus obstructing our community's progress and further exacerbating the blighted condition of our sector of the city along west Oakland Park Blvd.

Instead, we urge them to favor proposals that resonate with the needs of the local tax-paying voters and businesses in west Oakland Park.

Please sign this petition to demonstrate your opposition to this proposal and your support for improving the quality of life in west Oakland Park.