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Bernard Threat, 51, is one of five men living in Compassion House, a shelter for homeless veterans in Culpeper.
Army veteran Devaughn Parson leaves Compassion House for an appointment in town. Backers of the homeless shelter say neighbors' fears about the residents are unfounded. |
Neighborhood fears about residents of a shelter for homeless veterans in rural Culpeper County are unfounded, proponents told supervisors last night.
"Safety, security and public order are not at stake here," said Mike Whetston, a military veteran who now works at the Quantico Marine Corps base.
Whetston went on to say that neighbors of Compassion House may have "valid concerns, but they are not valid complaints. No laws have been broken."
In May, neighbors complained to the Board of Supervisors about the five men who now reside at the home about four miles north of Brandy Station.
The neighbors suggested that their subdivision was at risk because of the nearby shelter, which was opened in April by Yolonda Deane.
A number of those residents have banded together and threatened legal action if the county does not do something. They contend that zoning laws do not permit such a facility to exist in a rural neighborhood without a special-use permit.
Zoning officials, however, say that five unrelated people may legally share a home without a use permit.
"These [neighbors] are closing their hearts and their minds to the veterans who live in that house," Deane told the board last night. "We have opened up affordable living for these people so they will no longer be homeless."
In fact, Deane suggested that it was her neighbors, not Compassion House residents, who are breaking the law.
"People are trespassing on our property and taking pictures," she said, adding that she had been forced to call the Sheriff's Office after someone drove a four-wheeler into the shelter's yard.
Whetston also suggested that comments made by neighbors about the veterans, all of whom attended last night's meeting, bordered on slander.
"These men do not have psychiatric problems or chemical dependencies," he said. "They are just there seeking a better life than the one they've been living."
Whetston also took exception to the remarks of several veterans who spoke against the Compassion House last month, accusing them of taking "a ready, fire, aim approach."
Cliff Lewin, a Vietnam veteran and a member of Rolling Thunder, said Culpeper should honor these homeless veterans.
"They have put their lives on the line so that Americans can lay down their heads in safety at night," he said.
Cindy Kokernak, a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, called the Compassion House "a clean, wonderful environment."
"These are some of the strongest, proudest and most mild-mannered men I have ever met in my life," she said. "No one asked them to be homeless."
Deane gave supervisors photographs of several unsightly scenes in her neighborhood and compared them to the neatness of Compassion House.
"This is how we are being picked on," she said.
Whetston presented the board with a petition bearing the names of some 160 people who support the shelter.
About 30 people turned out last night in support of Compassion House, but only a few were allowed to speak during the public forum portion of the meeting.
The issue was not on the agenda and Chairman John Coates cut off comments after 30 minutes, the traditional length of the forum.
No one spoke in opposition to the shelter at last night's meeting.
Donnie Johnston:
