OLEAN, N.Y. — After an hour of heated discussions for and against the proposed Genesis House homeless shelter at 407 Alder St., the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) voted against providing a variance for the facility as a boarding house, but will revisit the issue in 62 days.  

Following Thursday’s meeting, ZBA chairperson La Dorna Fox said the board will use the time to thoroughly review the issue of whether the house on Alder Street is a boarding house, as defined by the city’s Code Enforcement Office, or a homeless shelter as determined by Genesis House. Common Council had decided to pursue legal action against the ZBA in June after the board had granted Genesis House a variance for the Alder Street property. Council later dropped the legal action after the ZBA agreed to reconsider the zoning variance.  

“There is so much confusion on all of this that they need an interpretation of our law,” Fox said of Genesis House. “We are allowed to make interpretations, so we are going to take the time to study our code to decide what this is called, and whether or not they need a variance.”

Genesis House board member Gary Abraham told the ZBA that the proposed shelter would not be a boarding house, as its residents would not pay to live at the facility, which is the legal definition of such a facility. He said the facility, which would house either four men, or four women at separate times, would be an adult care home as it would screen it residents, have a strict program and a house manager on the premises at all times. In addition, it was noted the residents, who would stay an average of 30 days, would not pay rent to stay at the shelter.

While a definition of the structure will determine if the facility will receive variance to open in the residential neighborhood, an underlying issue surfaced again at the meeting.

Several residents from the neighborhood, as well as a former principal from the nearby East View Elementary School, questioned the wisdom of setting up a shelter with transient adults in such close proximity to a campus with young children.

David Olson, a resident of the area and former principal at East View Elementary, said he is against having the shelter so close to the school.

“As I said at the last meeting, if we could be assured a (homeless) family would be housed in that building, then God bless you,” Olson said. “But I can’t in good conscience and in my heart say I would support (the shelter) being so close to 400 children … those children use the playground and those soccer kids use the field every evening.”

Following Olson’s comments, Fox noted that there is never any certainty on what type of people live in homes near schools. A pastor who stepped up to the microphone also noted that residents of the Alder Street facility would be screened and have background checks.

Olson’s comments were echoed by several other residents of the neighborhood. One man questioned why Genesis House couldn’t have selected an empty storefront for a new shelter that would be away from residential areas.

Pat Courtney, who had been homeless until the Genesis House shelter on South Barry Street helped her several years ago, gave the most impassioned comment on why the shelter should be allowed to open.

“People have misconceptions about the homeless,” Courtney told the board. “We are people who need love and nurturing … please I implore you to help these people.

“I pray you will make the right decision,” Courtney added.

Lenore Lounsbury, executive director for Genesis House, commented after the meeting and said she was pleased the ZBA will take time to review the matter.

“I’m excited they are willing to study this and understand the laws and rules better,” Lounsbury said. “The other piece to this is that it doesn’t really matter what (the shelter) is called, we just do a really good job and it’s needed.”