The public is invited to weigh in on a proposal to open a cold weather homeless shelter inside a Torrington church. The special meeting of the city's planning and zoning commission comes days after plans to open the shelter in a different Torrington church were rejected.
Northwest Hills Community Church was hoping to host the overflow homeless shelter for the winter months. Before the pandemic, they used to coordinate with churches in the area and take turns hosting the shelter for about a month each season.
Some people raised concerns about the location and the proximity of the shelter to a school next door to Northwest Hills. After a five-hour public hearing, Torrington's planning and zoning commission rejected the church's application for a special exception.
“We are in January and people need a warm, safe place to go," said Sarah Toomey, a community outreach worker and a member of the committee that is tasked with finding a location for the cold weather shelter.
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Toomey said last year the cold weather shelter for the area would serve about 35-40 people a night.
Trinity Episcopal Church, just down the road from Northwest Hills Community Church, is hoping they can serve as host for the temporary shelter instead. They also have an application in with the Planning and Zoning Commission. The public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday December 27 at 7 p.m.
The commission's chair declined to comment on the story before Wednesday's public hearing.
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In the meantime, the city is using some of the money they received from the American Rescue Plan Act to rent hotel rooms. They have 15 rooms, or 30 beds, and all are taken, according to the mayor.
