By Annie Gowen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, January 22, 2006; C06
The Alexandria City Council approved a controversial plan yesterday for a homeless shelter for the mentally ill that will nestle in the heart of the historic downtown shopping district.
More than 100 residents turned out for the two-hour debate at a hearing yesterday at City Hall, where neighbors with $1 million townhouses spoke of concerns for their personal safety and accused the city of downplaying their fears.
The debate had grown so heated in the weeks leading up to the vote that police were called after an earlier hearing, when two neighbors got into a shouting match. No charges were filed.
The council voted unanimously to go forward with a plan to remodel an old brick firehouse on northbound Route 1 into a home with 12 spaces for a homeless population that may include schizophrenics and patients suffering from bipolar disorder, about half of whom have drug or alcohol problems.
The modest brick building is just steps away from the city's main shopping district along King Street, as well as such popular businesses as Misha's, a coffeehouse and local hangout, and the Sugar House Day Spa and Salon.
"The people we are talking about are human beings, and they are in our city and on our streets," Mayor William D. Euille (D) said. "All we're doing here is putting them in an environment where they can recover and become productive citizens."
Community Services Board Chairman Mary Riley said her group -- which oversees money used for residents through the city's Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services -- plans to remodel the fire station to include 10 one-room residences, a two-person apartment and a rooftop deck. There are 200 similar homes across the country (including homes in Arlington and Fairfax) based on a nationally recognized model called Safe Haven.
Building a shelter for homeless people who suffer from mental illnesses has been a priority for the city since 1997, Riley said, because traditional shelters "don't have [the] mental-health staffing" necessary to care for patients. The facility will have 24-hour staffing and clinicians. Residents will be allowed to come and go as they please -- a fact that worried neighbors.
Riley said she was "relieved" after the vote and was not surprised at the outpouring from opponents of the plan: "It's a natural reaction. There's a lot of misunderstanding about mental illness."
Opponents gained momentum in recent weeks, leafleting the neighborhood and creating a Web site called Saveoldtown.org, which combines pictures of shoppers and Old Town's boutiques with the urgent message "Help Save Old Town Alexandria!"
"We're absolutely worried about our safety," said Craig Miller, 39, a loan officer who has a home near the proposed site.
Neighbors were further incensed that they had to limit their discussion yesterday to the architectural details of the city's plan, rather than the site's use as a home for the mentally ill. The land where the firehouse sits was zoned for multi-family use, so city officials decided no special-use permit, which would have required greater community participation, was needed. Until 2004, the city had for two decades used the site as a daytime clubhouse for 60 people with serious mental illnesses.
After yesterday's meeting, Miller said opponents were considering filing a lawsuit to block the shelter. The city had hoped to have the remodeling finished by early next year.
"What's getting lost in all this is that we've got people on the street and it's winter," Riley said. "It's very disturbing to see these delay tactics are being used."
