GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — City of Greensboro leaders have finally chosen a location for 30 pallet homes that will provide a safe place for roughly 60 homeless individuals to spend the winter.
The pallet home community and safe parking area will be located at Pamona Park on Clifton Road.
The 30 pallets will sit on the outfield of the baseball field.The field is one of the only handicap accessible ball fields in the city.
People in the community worry the foot traffic will damage the field and make it harder for special athletes to play.
“We are fully committed to getting the field back up and running in the spring time where we can accommodate the athletic events and programming that would take place in the space,” Assistant City Manger for the City of Greensboro Nasha McCray said.
Originally, the city hoped to put 40 homes in the outfield, but due to safety requirements and a 20 foot buffer, they had to reduce the number.
Each home will be hooked up to the city’s power grid to provide people living inside heat and air.
24-hour security will be on site, and it will be well lit.
“Obviously, those lights are very bright, and we do want to be mindful of that especially for our residents that will be residing there temporarily for sleeping,” McCray said.
City leaders say during the winter, the park is underutilized, so the disruption to play should be minimal.
They also told FOX8 location has a lot to do with it. The homes will be close to a bus stop and other resources people living here will need.
“Restroom facilities are already on site. There are showering facilities that are mobile that we will bring in,” McCray said.
The Interactive Resource Center will coordinate who lives inside each pallet and provide on site case managers to help them break down the barriers people in the homeless community often face.
A spokesperson for Pallet, who makes the homes, says they don’t recommend putting the structures on grass because of the moisture, and it’s easier to track mud and dirt inside the homes.
They recommend putting them on gravel or concrete.
McCray tells FOX8 the city is prepared to pay for any damage to the field to get it up and running for athletes in the spring.
Since this is the first time city leaders have taken on a project like this, they will see how this first phase goes. If there’s a better area for the pallet home community next winter, they will relocate the project.
