The Glory Hole Shelter will not be moving to the Mendenhall Valley anytime soon.
This week, the shelter’s board of directors withdrew its application to move to a former city property on Hurlock Avenue near the Juneau International Airport. The application stated that the Glory Hole would move its emergency shelter from downtown to the Hurlock Avenue location, and then rent out its current spot on Franklin Street to a restaurant or another business to earn revenue.
As Glory Hole Interim Director Kyle Hargrave explained in January, the application was “conceptual” and there was still some disagreement among the board of directors about whether the shelter should be moved to the valley.
Mariya Lovischuk, who has returned to her post as the shelter’s director after taking a couple months off, issued a statement Wednesday night saying the shelter had withdrawn its application.
“After analyses, examination of our strategic priorities, input from the Hurlock Avenue neighbors and our sincere belief that permanent supportive housing rather than homeless shelters breaks the cycle of homelessness, we feel this is the right decision at this time,” Lovischuk’s statement read.
The Glory Hole was one of six organizations to apply to move into the property on Hurlock, referred to as the Cornerstone property. Previously, Juneau Youth Services had occupied the property.
In December, the City and Borough of Juneau announced that it was looking to sell or lease the property, located at 9290 Hurlock Ave. City officials wanted the property used for some kind of community service such as childcare, healthcare or social services.
Five organizations still have their applications on file: Alaska Legacy Partners, an assisted living facility for seniors; Aunt Margaret’s House, a halfway house and seasonal housing agency; Gehring Nursery School, for preschool childcare; Polaris House, a mental health care service; and Prama Home Inc., which combines preschool education, senior care and services for homeless youth.
A memo from CBJ Lands Manager Greg Chaney identified Polaris House as “the best fit,” and the CBJ Assembly Lands Committee will further consider the applications at noon this coming Monday at City Hall. At that meeting, applicants will have give presentations about why their organizations want to move into the space. Members of the public are welcome to attend, but no public testimony will be taken.
The Lands Committee is expected to take these presentations into account and then make an official recommendation to the Assembly at its Feb. 26 meeting. The Assembly will then take public testimony and make its selection at a future meeting.
• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at 523-2271 or alex.mccarthy@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @akmccarthy.
