Would you welcome rest stop for homeless in your neighborhood?

How would you feel about an “Urban Rest Stop” popping up in your neighborhood?

Urban Rest Stops are showering and clothes cleaning stations for the homeless. Ballard residents are voicing their concern about one that’s recently been approved for their neighborhood.

KING 5 reports residents have cited potential adverse effects on traffic and parking among the reasons they’re appealing the city’s approval.

But KIRO Radio’s John Curley thinks those probably aren’t the only reasons residents are opposed.

“That is the smokescreen,” says Curley. “You go to traffic as the safe problem. You don’t want to come right out and say smelly people.”

KING 5 reports Ballard has a significant homeless problem which is why Urban Rest Stop nonprofit Program Director Ronni Gilboa tells them the rest stop in Ballard is important.

“There is a very significant need,” says Gilboa. “I think it’s important people understand that not everyone who is homeless lives downtown.”

Tom & Curley co-host Tom Tangney sees at least some benefit for the neighborhood.

“I would think showered and clean clothed homeless would be better than not,” says Tom, who says this as a classic problem of people being for an idea in theory, but having a different take on it when it takes root outside their front door.

“I think it’s one of these cases where I think we all approve of what urban rest stops do, the problem is, not in my backyard,” says Tom. “If someone moved this right next to your house, how would you feel about it?”