1st ward residents can expect big changes to the Seventh Day Adventist convent building located at 45 W 4th street in Fulton. The proposed men’s shelter is associated with Victory Transformation, a non-profit organization with an office at 24 E Oneida street in Oswego. In a letter sent to Fulton residents, the proposed facility will house homeless men and their families, and offer various levels of 24-hour support and supervision. A public presentation is to be held this Thursday July 25th, at 6pm at the Seventh Day Adventist church.
The letter also makes reference to conversations between the mayor, planning board, council members, and area pastors. This sentence is of particular concern, as none of these conversations have been listed on any council or planning board agenda dating back to January of this year. The lack of transparency has kept community members in the dark, with little chance to voice their opinion. The city thus far has hoped to pass this proposed facility as quietly as possible, with little to no community input.
Victory Transformation promotes itself as a reform facility offering a hand-up, not a hand-out. According to their 2020 annual report, they offered shelter to 69 men at their Oswego facility, with approximately 40% of those being kicked out due to drug/alcohol and/or probation violations. 2020 is the last year of their annual reporting, with requests for more recent data ignored. Victory Transformation also has not committed to supporting those struggling locally, and deflects any questions about where its candidates are coming from. Although I am not personally opposed to accessible housing, I am of the belief that it should not require bringing in homeless from outside our already struggling city. I encourage 1st ward residents to research your new neighbor, because city leadership clearly has not. The silence from city officials on this topic is deafening, and leaves this 1st ward resident extremely pessimistic about the future of our city.
Sean Latulipe
Former member, Fulton Planning Board
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What is the cover-up,no knowledge of anything from 2020 on. WHAT IS THE DEAL??
Helping people in need of housing is good. But why weren’t residents of the 1st ward told about the homeless aid project that’s planned at the Seventh Day Adventist building. Why not be transparent about it? Residents and tax payers feel we are not important enough to be told.
As a current member of the Planning Commission, I’d like to take this time to clarify a few things relative to the former convent at the 7th Day Adventist church in Fulton and the program that Victory Transformation in Oswego is proposing to run there. First, it is not a shelter, per se, in that it is not a warehouse for homeless men. Victory’s purpose is to help a select group of about a dozen men transition to being productive members of society by providing Christian based life skills. The men commit to following the rules of the program. Sex offenders are not allowed.
The purpose of the meeting this past Thursday was to engage with the neighbors to introduce the program and to understand their concerns, which is why the letter referenced in this article was not sent out to the whole city. While there have been discussions with the mayor and some members of the Planning Commission, there has not been a formal decision to proceed. Once there is, they will come before the Planning Commission and be on the agenda, which is distributed to all members of the Common Council. Most likely, there will be a Public Hearing called for and if the Planning Commission approves, then it will be sent to the Common Council for a vote.
Most likely after another Public Hearing.
The letter referenced was only sent to neighbors of 7th Day Adventist to introduce the program and to hear their concerns. While there have been discussions with the mayor and some members of the Planning Commission, there has not been a decision to move forward. Once there is, they will have to come before the Planning Commission and the Common Council and each will likely call for a Public Hearing on the matter. The agenda for Planning Commission meetings is sent to each member of the Common Council and the agenda for Common Council meetings is on the city’s webpage.
Victory Transformation looks to help men become productive members of society by providing Christian based life skills to about a dozen men at a time. It is not a warehouse for homeless men. Sex offenders are not allowed and the men must agree to adhere to the rules of the program.
I call on the First Ward alderman to stop this and demand a public hearing and vote by the council. The lack of transparency demands it and the residents are owed it. Enough of this hiding behind the name of non- profit to make it seem legal.
I saw flashes of articles about Victory Transformation /Seventh Day Adventist housing plan on Oswego County News Now website. Unfortunately, to read full articles on OCNN I would have to pay a fee. Would Fulton city leaders consider putting the same news on //www.oswegocountytoday.com which lets you read for free?