Plans to open a shelter for battered women and children in Milford have been scrapped after opponents publicized the home's address.
The organization BH Care planned to open a domestic violence shelter at a home on Village Road, which sits in a quiet, beach-front community.
However, many residents expressed opposition and some even went so far as to publicize the site's address at town meetings and online, which ultimately derailed the project.
With the location no longer secret, the BH Care board of directors voted to halt the project earlier this month.
In a statement, board co-chair Bill Bassett said, "This would have been a peaceful, safe place for women and children to begin the healing process. However, the executive committee deemed that the location is no longer secure and it is in the best interest of the women and children we serve to abandon the project."
"I'm extremely disappointed that the address was made public. To me that wasn't fair fighting," said Burt Saxon, who lives on the street where the shelter would have opened. "I would have liked to have seen us extend a welcoming hand to BH Care because there's a dire need for good facilities for victims of domestic violence and for their children."
Opponents questioned whether the project violated zoning regulations and also feared there could be an increase in crime in the area.
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"There could be some baggage with that, the fact that somebody could come looking for them could create a problem," said Bill Mezick, who lives in the neighborhood.
The BH Care board of directors plans to meet again next month to discuss what to do with the Village Road property in Milford and what other locations to pursue for a shelter
