Work together to address concerns

Sometimes changing unsavory behavior requires a clean break.

That is our hope for a well-intentioned public service with a less-than-stellar reputation as it moves away from downtown and a few blocks into a residential neighborhood.

The Mission of Hope, currently located in the 1500 block of First Avenue SE, will occupy a new space in the Mound View neighborhood, along B Avenue NE, this fall.

Leadership told The Gazette the organization expects to close on the new facility, now occupied by Living Waters Kingdom Church, in mid-August and relocate to the property in October.

The move makes sense: One quarter of the Mission's clientele live in the area.

The new location will offer much-needed extra space. Still, the decision has concerned some local residents who worry about increased traffic and potential public safety risks.

Mission of Hope leadership acknowledge there have been some problems at the current site - which is too small to seat all lunch diners at once - and say they've learned from past mistakes.

Some neighborhood residents have been unwilling to believe that circumstances are to blame for nuisances that have been associated with the site, not the facility or individuals coming to it for help.

We remain particularly concerned by the rhetoric used by some neighborhood residents to describe individuals receiving services from the mission.

Mission of Hope leaders must address the concerns of neighbors near its new location and fully explain how its larger home will be designed to serve everyone.

It is the responsibility of the Mission and its benefactors to make good on their promises of good behavior.

In turn, neighbors should curb their inflammatory rhetoric concerning people served by Mission of Hope and focus on concerning behaviors, not on condemning or stereotyping broad classes of people.

Ugly language brokers no compromise and blocks negotiation.

If neighbors are concerned about the Mission's impact on their property values, they should work with the Mission to make sure those fears aren't realized.

Together, Mission of Hope leaders and neighbors can create a space that is an asset - serving broader neighborhood activities and goals while providing a positive break from the past.

' Comments: (319) 398-8262 or editorial@thegazette.com