WEST NORRITON — Last week, township officials resumed talks about a suggested state institution overlay district on the Norristown State Hospital grounds, and residents repeated worries about a possible homeless shelter.
No decision has been made on the proposal that, if accepted, would bring about a zoning change for “permitted uses” on the state-owned property where the state hospital forensic unit is currently located. While the most pressing need focuses on rebuilding a 420-bed forensic unit to accommodate more people, local residents have voiced concerns about the potential of a homeless shelter.
“Homeless shelter and related short term transitional residential uses” is mentioned as a potential option for the 67-acre parcel. The site was formerly home to CHOC, the Coordinated Homeless Outreach Center operated by Resources for Human Development as the county’s only homeless shelter for men. It shut down in June 2022 when the lease expired, and it has not been replaced with a new facility.
West Norriton has been considered as a possible location for a shelter or similar housing facility, as well as Lansdale, Lower Merion, and Upper Moreland, in a county homelessness task force report.
Suggestions for a 30-to-35-bed shelter potentially within the West Norriton section of Norristown State Hospital land were proposed, with the aim to assist “those living in encampments,” according to county documents. The report anticipated an “desired open date” of the fourth quarter of 2024, but formal plans for a shelter have not been presented to the township.
Township Manager Jason Bobst has stated that the language in the overlay district proposal does not refer to a specific plan and is intended to ensure the township keeps involvement in any future possibilities.
Public comment intensifies
During a meeting last month, resident Kimberly Ha