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In a presidential election year, it should not come as a surprise when local campaigns double-down on nastiness, half-truths, and lies.
In Lower Providence, the human services non-profit proposing 60 units of supportive housing called Genny’s Place recently publicized a fact sheet in response to opponents’ fear campaign. Opponents, many of whom showed up to the recent supervisors’ meeting to express concerns about “migrants,” have leaned into that narrative. They set up a Facebook page called Say No to the Lower Providence Homeless Migrant Complex.
Chief among their smears is the notion that RHD was “kicked out” of Norristown.
Resources for Human Development (RHD) previously operated the CHOC facility on the grounds of the Norristown State Hospital grounds until June 2022. Since then, there has been no year-round shelter for single adults experiencing homelessness. Contrary to the opponents’ lie, CHOC closed because the municipality of Norristown wanted to redevelop the land. RHD’s contract was not renewed for that reason. Fittingly (or not), Norristown Council is poised to vote Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. on the final selection of the developer for those 68 acres.
Subtlety is not their strength. Yes, this image was actually used on the opponents' propaganda.
The Lower Providence Board of Supervisors is expected to vote at their May 2 meeting on the text amendment under consideration. It is needed because supportive housing – defined as short-term housing with wraparound social services – is not listed as a permissible use in the township’s Institutional Overlay District.
It's looking as though the residents of LP do not want to have RHD running their operation in their community. At the risk of sounding overly simplistic, wouldn't make more sense for RHD to build and run their operation in a community that actually wanted their business?