In an email letter to District 10 on October 8, Dan Cain notified the community of RS Eden's decision not to pursue developng a supportive housing development at the Sholom Home site

RS Eden has decided against pursuing a supportive housing development at the site of the Sholom Home

in the Como neighborhood. There are many reasons for our decision, but chief among them was a plea

from a neighbor to move quickly toward a decision, as the neighborhood was tearing itself apart (their

words, not mine).

Coming to the decision we did was a difficult process. First, I believe that the people who are open

minded about the possibilities have a right to an informed decision making process. And they have the

right to get their information, not from some inflammatory, manipulative and false propaganda, but

from the facts, and the people who have experienced them. I know that an affordable housing project,

with the support of the neighborhood, can not only be an asset, but can enhance the vitality of an area,

increase property tax revenue and augment public safety. And I also know that we operate some of the

best, and most accountable, supportive housing in the region.

Other things making the decision more difficult were the tactics of some of those opposed to any

project. I never want to give the impression that the people who propagated the falsehoods, and were

most rabid in their opposition, somehow scared and swift‐boated us away from a project. On the other

hand, my overly competitive nature could result in moving ahead with a project just to prove someone

else wrong. And that’s not a good reason to do much of anything.

I spent last Tuesday evening with Peter Barry and his wife and family. Pete was opposed to us doing a

project at Sholom, and remains opposed even after we talked. But we talked, and that is really all we

were ever asking of the community. Pete wanted to educate me about the Como neighborhood. I

wanted to educate him about supportive housing. I’m not sure how much either one of us succeeded.

But it was worthwhile because we were able to look into each other’s eyes and judge each other’s

character.

A lot of people develop something I have heard referred to as e‐courage; the tendency to hit the send

button with comments and assertions they would never consider making in public. In this case, those

who attempted to define other peoples’ character through fear, lies, spin and innuendo really only

succeeded in defining, and exposing, their own.

I was particularly surprised at the attacks on Council Member Stark and Luke Kuhl, both for doing

nothing beyond saying they would support a fair and open discussion. Then there was the implication

that Cecile Bedor had somehow exhibited nepotism because she told a developer, who happened to

also be a friend, about the availability of this site, along with 6 others. Council Member Stark, Luke and

other neighbors who were verbally attacked for arguing for fairness, did nothing to deserve the

response they got, and we are not willing to be the lightening rod for its continuation. They didn’t sign

up for this stuff, we did.

The myths and negative stereotypes floating around about homeless people and supportive housing are

not new, but they are important to address. Supportive housing is being created across the state in an

unprecedented effort to end homelessness. http://headinghomeminnesota.com/ For those who are

interested, we are still willing to take people on tours of our supportive housing projects on the 20th.

You can see for yourself what type of housing RS Eden develops. Additionally, the Corporation for

Supportive Housing (CSH) is willing to facilitate a discussion of supportive housing on the 23rd as

scheduled. RS Eden will be there, along with others who have supportive housing projects, to share

information and take questions. I think some of you may actually come away inspired by what people

across our state are doing.

In all likelihood, the Sholom Home will be some type of supportive housing site, assuming it doesn’t get

boarded up and stand vacant through what promises to be challenging economic times. There are

several uses that have been suggested that you may want to give more consideration, and some that

you probably do not. As I told Peter last Tuesday, if the neighborhood is interested, I would volunteer to

help sort those things out. We could discuss the development process and the limitations of the site.

Perhaps those discussions would help Como become more familiar with what can be done on the site

and become a productive partner with any future developers at the Sholom Home .

Dan Cain