Dickinson denies United Way special use permit for Evergreen building after hours of testimony

Dickinson, N.D. — The Dickinson City Commission on Sept. 16 denied a special use permit requested by United Way Dickinson to operate a three-part supportive-care facility at the former Evergreen building, concluding a multi-hour public hearing with divided testimony from service providers, neighbors, public-safety officials and people with lived experience.

The applicant, Dakota Gant, Executive Director of United Way Dickinson, described a three-floor program: a 13-room low-barrier emergency shelter on the first floor, an onsite treatment center operated by Southwest Multicounty Corrections Center (SWMCCC) on the second floor, and 30 supportive/transitional housing units on the third floor. "This project is not simply a homeless shelter," Gant told the commission. He said the facility would combine short-term shelter, embedded treatment and transitional housing with case management, security and an advisory board to provide oversight.

United Way presented anticipated startup funding sources including a $1,000,000 HOME-ARP award, a Home Loan Bank grant cited as up to $3.5 million (applicant said the exact amount and timing were being finalized) and CHS and other implementation grants. Gant said ongoing operations would be supported by Medicaid reimbursements, other state programs and rent contributions; he added the project was not seeking city or county tax funding and said projected revenues at capacity could exceed $3.2 million annually.

City staff described the SUP…