It plans to turn it into an emergency family shelter.
Frederick, Md (KM). Plans by the Religious Coalition for Emergency Human Needs to purchase from the City of Frederick a dilapidated farm house on Hayward Road is scheduled for this discussion this week during a Board of Aldermen Workshop.
Nick Brown, the Executive Director of the Religious Coalition, says the non-profit wants to rehabilitate it and turn it into an Emergency Family Shelter. “It’s a permanent fixed site so families don’t have to move around and there’s a good deal of stability that will be part it by being centrally located in the house,” he says. “The other big benefit is capacity.”
Brown says the Coalition works with local houses of worship to offer overnight shelters to two to five homeless families, which is about 15 people. He says the house on Hayward Road can be rehabilitated to provide a place for 45 to 50 people to stay, and get the services they need to be self sufficient.
The City of Frederick purchased the property at 7516 Hayward Road, which included the old farm house, in 2013, in order to build a new city water tower. The structure has been constructed, and the six-tenth of an acre site is not needed, according city documents. Selling the property has been difficult due to the poor condition of the farm house.
The Religious Coalition has offered to purchase the farm house and the property for $500. “We are asking the city to virtually donate the property to us, and then allow us to revitalize it,”: says Brown.
The house has been vacant for a few years, and Browns notes it’s not in the best of condition. “There are some birds that have roosted, and there’s a tree growing in one of the rooms,” says Brown. “It’s a beautiful house and once we get in there and get it polished off, it will be something to see.”
The estimated cost of rehabilitating the home is more than $1-million to $1-and-a-half-million. “We will be engaging in a capital campaign starting likely next year to try to raise those dollars with a tentative goal of probably $2-million,” he says.
Brown says he’s confident the Religious Coalition will raise the money for fix up the house. “Frederick County and the surrounding areas are very generous. We have a very good committee together that is spearheading the capital campaign,” he says.
And there’s a lot of people interested in helping out. . “We’ve have lots of interest whether it’s building, painting or planning,” he says. “We have a nice sandbox to play in as far as groups to come help.”
He hopes to have this house rehabilitated and ready to open as an Emergency Family Shelter by 2020.
By Kevin McManus