Finance committee forwards CDBG subrecipient package after heated debate over drop-in center

The finance committee on July 6 voted 4-0 to forward a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) subrecipient appropriation package to full council after a contentious public-comment period and council exchange over funding for a downtown drop-in center.

Staff said the city posted the annual action plan and held two public hearings, and that HUD review is ongoing; they listed subrecipients and amounts, saying some entities would receive $111,000 and several would receive $11,000 each. Staff also said the Licking County Coalition for Housing would receive $37,950 for a deposit program.

The dispute centered on one listed subrecipient, the St. Vincent Haven community drop-in center. One council member said they would offer an amendment at full council to remove that organization “simply for the fact that there are currently some zoning issues there and some safety issues there with over 70 police calls,” and said neighbors have raised concerns. That remark prompted protests from council colleagues and multiple speakers from the public.

Greg Foster, identified in the record as a director at the drop-in center, asked the city to publish the police-call logs so the center and neighbors could review them and explore remedies. Donna Gibson, the center’s director, told the committee the center operates daily as a low-barrier drop-in service and that it serves 50–65 people during peak periods; she disputed the claim that the center itself produced “hundreds and hundreds of police calls” and invited council members to visit.

“This is our place,” Gibson said, describing meal services, warming and cooling functions and wraparound assistance. Kristen Evers, who said she started the drop-in as a community initiative, described the center’s efforts to pair guests with medical and behavioral supports and said the operation has expanded services over three years.

Mark Rodriguez, the Ward 4 council member where the facility is located, said constituents are sympathetic to the services inside the building but worried about behavior off the property. Multiple speakers urged use of the city’s zoning process as the appropriate route to resolve property-specific concerns; one council member recommended the zoning administrator, George Carter, contact the property owner.

Mark Mader, director of the Department of Development, told the committee that CDBG awards are always “subject to approval” and described the timing constraints tied to HUD’s release of funds, explaining why staff sought council legislation now and said changes would trigger a HUD notice-and-review process.

After discussion and assurances that council members would continue to seek documentation of police calls and zoning status, the committee voted to send the package to full council for final action. The committee record shows a 4-0 vote to forward the appropriations. The full council will consider the appropriations at an upcoming meeting.