The Exeter Zoning Board voted 3-2 on March 31 to approve an exception that will allow Seacoast Family Promise to open a day center for homeless families at 27 Hampton Road.
However, it’s unclear when SFP will be able to move into the building. Abutters in the neighborhood have 30 days to appeal. Karey Kelly, president of SFP’s board of directors, said the organization is waiting to see if an appeal is filed, but added that she was pleased with the board’s decision.
“We’re very excited about joining the Exeter community and we’re excited about … moving into a new day center and having an opportunity to serve our families,” she said.
The vote followed a lengthy series of public hearings. Supporters said the center would help homeless families find stable housing and work. Opponents said the center did not conform to zoning requirements for the residential neighborhood and expressed concerns about safety and the center’s potential impact on property values.
The board approved SFP’s application, which included a number of restrictions. For example, the center cannot host more than 14 guests at a time, guests can only be on the property between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., guests will be screened for drug and alcohol use, and there will be fencing around the property. Kelly said SFP proposed those restrictions as a “way to collaborate with the town and address some of the concerns of the abutters and the board.”
“Other than the fencing, we already abide by those restrictions. We just wanted to formalize them,” she added.
SFP’s current day center is located at the Stratham Community Church. Kelly said the center currently hosts an average of four families at a time. Most of the parents in the families are working, and school-aged children are in school. “If there are guests at the day center, it’s either mothers who are staying home with children because they’re not school aged, or folks who are in the process of looking for a new or better job,” she said.
Kelly said the nonprofit’s capital campaign for the day center is about “three-quarters of the way” to its $500,000 goal.
“We’re happy with the support we received and appreciate the Exeter Zoning Board’s taking such a long and careful look at us,” she said. — Larry Clow