Delaware
Legislators, officials tour Springboard Village
The Delaware League of Local Governments hosted a tour of the Springboard Collaborative Pallet Village for legislators and town officials Feb. 9.
The resounding message of partners in the collaborative was the need for operational funds for day-to-day expenses for the homeless shelter with 40 cabins in Georgetown.
Judson Malone of Georgetown, Springboard co-founder and executive director, said the village continues to receive some additional funding and donations, but a more sustainable funding source is needed.
“In the long term, we are asking the state to work with us and fund operations going forward,” he said.
Malone led the tour and talked about how the village came to fruition and what is planned for the future.
Start-up funding
Springboard used $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds from the Town of Georgetown to purchase the cabins. Malone said they were pre-approved for $998,000 in state ARPA Community Reinvestment Funds.
“But we had to get final approval from the U.S. Treasury, and the funds were just recently released,” he said.
Those funds will be used to build a new village community center.
A grant of $800,000 from the Longwood Foundation funded initial operating costs.
The collaborative also received $365,000 for construction costs from Preston Schell, Discover, Del-One Federal Credit Union and the Crystal Trust.
Volunteers painted each of the cabins, and several companies have provided in-kind work.
About the village
The village now has a temporary food preparation building as plans for a community center begin to take shape. The center will include a commercial kitchen, multipurpose room, classrooms, a computer lab and offices. Springboard is in the process of soliciting bids for the project.
Each self-contained shelter has its own microwave and mini-refrigerator. The day’s main meal is provided by volunteers and staff. A free store is open daily to residents.
Malone said wellness checks are conducted at least once each day, and there are at least two staff members on site at all times.
“This is a gated community. We do allow visitors, but they can’t go in the cabins,” he said.
A lot has happened over the past few months at the village. Several new prefabricated buildings have been added to provide office space for case workers and staff, a pantry, a classroom and storage.
The village has been open just over a year and has been filled to capacity every day. Malone said mostly single people live in the 40 cottages, which are on land owned by First State Community Action Agency.
Springboard pays $1,200 per month to lease the property from First State.
The cost per individual per day is about $73, which includes a private cabin, around-the-clock supervision, comprehensive care coordination and meals. Residents have access to financial training, gardening, health services and referrals.
Each cabin has electricity with heating and air conditioning. The village has bathrooms and showers for residents.
Officials on the tour
Government officials attending the tour were Sen. Russ Huxtable, D-Lewes; Sen. Brian Pettyjohn, R-Georgetown; Rep. Jeff Hilovsky, R-Millsboro; Rep. Sophie Phillips, D-Bear; Rep. Valerie Jones Giltner, R-Georgetown; Georgetown Mayor Bill West; Milford Mayor Archie Campbell; Georgetown Police Chief Ralph Holm; and Georgetown Town Manager Gene Dvornick.
Delaware League of Local Governments Executive Director Kevin Spence coordinated the tour.
Goal is a hand up
Jeff Ronald, co-founder and board member, said it’s not only a moral duty to help those in need, but also makes good business sense.
“It’s smart to empower people who can now live in a dignified dwelling and receive wrap-around services. Our goal is to provide a hand up to help people lead successful lives,” he said.
And, he said, the program is working. He talked about people who were living in the woods who are now working to become professional chefs and trade workers.
Randall “R.L.” Hughes of Millsboro, who is Springboard Collaborative president, said for years he was looking and not seeing what was really happening in his community. Now, he said, he understands the reality of the homeless situation.
“If we do what we have always done, we should expect nothing new,” he said, referring to the village. “This is not a panacea, but we can fix one or two things and try to do better the next day.”
Hughes is a retired Delaware State Police trooper, former Georgetown chief of police, and worked at the Delaware Department of Safety & Homeland Security. He is currently Beebe Healthcare emergency management coordinator.
Dvornick played a key role in making the dream a reality.
“This is one solution to a very complicated problem. There is not reason we couldn’t have villages in other towns,” he said.
Holm said the homeless problem is not new; it’s something he has watched increase over the past 25 years. He said the village allows people to think about living and not just surviving day to day.
“I wish there were more of these villages because, at the end of the day, the homeless problem is not going away,” he said.
He said there are still people living in the woods around Georgetown.
West, who has been a strong supporter of the village and is now a board member, said, “We have to do what is right for people, and here we have a great success,” he said.
West, who visits the village frequently, said he was speaking with one resident recently who has saved enough money to look for his own place.
“There is no security in the woods. Their lives are unstable. They are happy to be here,” he added.
Residents are getting support
Of the 58 people who have left the village: 15 are permanently housed; 34 have been referred to medical providers; 33 to mental health treatment; 32 to substance abuse programs; 14 are employed and nine receive benefits; and another 25 have received financial training.
The majority of residents are male, aged 25 to 59, with 14 residents over 60 years of age.
So far, case workers have helped residents receive 15 birth certificates, 41 identification cards and seven Social Security cards.
Springboard Collaborative, based in Wilmington, is a nonprofit building dignified dwellings and communities that foster well-being for Delawareans in greatest need – those experiencing homelessness, housing insecurity and economic hardship – concurrently connecting compromised populations with community resources to build a better life.
What are journalists missing from the state of Delaware? What would you most like WHYY News to cover? Let us know.
Is Delaware’s “acting” U.S. attorney, a loyalist of President Donald Trump who chaired the state Republican Party immediately before her appointment, serving in the post illegally?
That’s a question now being asked about Julianne Murray as federal courts around the country have ruled that five other U.S. attorneys were unlawfully put in their posts on an “interim” or “acting” basis by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Bondi installed Murray as Delaware’s “interim” U.S. attorney in July. The 120-day limit for interim appointments ended this month, when Bondi changed Murray’s status as Delaware’s chief federal law enforcement officer to “acting.”
But U.S. Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee that vets candidates for U.S. attorney posts, told WHYY News he thinks the steps Bondi took to keep Murray in the post are “probably illegal.”
The nation’s 93 U.S. attorneys are critical law enforcement administrators who guide prosecutions in their jurisdictions for a wide range of federal cases, including gang violence, narcotics trafficking, firearms crimes, kidnapping, bank fraud, money laundering and tax evasion.
Under the U.S. Constitution, federal law and longstanding practice, U.S. attorneys are nominated by the president and must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Bondi, however, has chosen a nontraditional route with some appointments, only to have her end-around maneuvers declared unlawful in New Jersey, Virginia, Nevada, New Mexico and California.
The latest reversal came Monday. In a dramatic decision, a judge ruled that former Trump personal lawyer Lindsey Halligan — an insurance lawyer with no prosecutorial experience before Bondi made her interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in September — was illegally installed. Bondi immediately pledged to appeal.
Perhaps more importantly, the judge’s order that Halligan’s appointment was unlawful also dismissed two high-profile cases — the criminal indictments against former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Trump had publicly called for their prosecutions and Halligan, within days of taking the job, obtained grand jury indictments against them.
Meanwhile, the status of Alina Habba, another of Trump’s former personal attorneys who Bondi put in the New Jersey post this year, only to have her actions declared unlawful in August, is also in limbo. The case is now before the 3rd U.S. Circuit of Appeals, whose decisions govern New Jersey and Delaware.
While no formal legal challenge has been brought against Murray’s appointment, the details surrounding her installation have similarities to the others that have been contested and ruled invalid.
Murray and the others have not been nominated by Trump and confirmed by the Senate.
And like Habba in New Jersey, the judges in the U.S. District Court for Delaware decided not to reappoint Murray to the post after her initial 120-day “interim” status ended Nov. 11.
Federal law says that after 120 days, a district’s judges may put someone in the post until the vacancy is formally filled.
In New Jersey, the judges named Habba’s top assistant to the post, but Bondi promptly fired her. Then, Bondi took several legal steps to make Habba the “acting” U.S. Attorney, using another federal law that lets someone fill a post for 210 days.
Even though a judge ruled Habba’s appointment unlawful in August, she remains in the post while the Trump administration appeals.
Mayor John Carney vowed to address homelessness in his first year in office. He is proposing allowing unhoused people to camp in one of the city’s parks. But all other encampments would be banned.
“As we attempt to provide support for the unhoused here in Wilmington, we have a responsibility on how, on behalf of the residents of neighborhoods, to ensure that Wilmington operates in an orderly and lawful way,” he said in October.
Raquel Cruz said she doesn’t think the mayor’s plan goes far enough.
“The mayor needs to do much, much more than just shuffle the unhoused around rather than try to pursue better outcomes for them,” she said.
Housing advocates argue a ban on sleeping outside criminalizes homelessness. They said Wilmington needs more shelter beds and affordable housing.
Carney said city officials would provide restroom facilities and clean water for Christina Park residents and will explore adding a shower facility there. On-site security is also part of the plan.
The city is also working with the Wilmington Housing Authority and the Ministry of Caring to open a dining hall for the homeless at the WHA site a block away from Christina Park.
The mayor has also argued that Philadelphia’s efforts to clean up Kensington, an area known for an open-air drug market and homeless encampments, is adding to Wilmington’s homeless population looking for shelter and services.
Whether you need to grab some last-minute Thanksgiving ingredients or are planning to indulge in the doorbuster deals on Black Friday, you’ll need to know the store hours of your local grocery stores, malls and retailers.
This year, Thanksgiving falls on Nov. 27, and the annual Black Friday shopping rush falls on Nov. 28.
Order from Instacart:
Here’s which Delaware stores and malls are open during Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
What are Christiana Mall’s Thanksgiving, Black Friday hours?
Christiana Mall near Christiana will be closed for Thanksgiving, but will have special expanded hours on Black Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
What are Concord Mall’s Thanksgiving, Black Friday hours?
Concord Mall in Brandywine Hundred is also closing its doors Thanksgiving, but will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Black Friday.
What major retailers are open on Thanksgiving, Black Friday?
Before racing off to find Black Friday deals, check when these major retailers are open.
- Target: Target stores will be closed on Thanksgiving and open at 6 a.m. on Black Friday.
- Walmart: All Walmart stores will be closed on Thanksgiving and open the following day at 6 a.m. for Black Friday deals.
- Boscov’s: Boscov’s will be closed on Thanksgiving and open on Black Friday.
- Macy’s: Macy’s will be closed on Thanksgiving and open on Black Friday.
- Best Buy: Best Buy stores will be closed on Thanksgiving and open on Black Friday.
- Kohl’s: Kohl’s will be closed on Thanksgiving and reopen at 5 a.m. on Black Friday.
- TJ Maxx: TJ Maxx stores will be closed on Thanksgiving and open at 7 a.m. on Black Friday.
- JCPenney: JCPenney locations will be closed on Thanksgiving and reopen Black Friday at 5 a.m.
- Nordstrom: Nordstrom stores will be closed on Thanksgiving and open on Black Friday.
What grocery stores are open on Thanksgiving?
If you’re looking to get supplies for your Thanksgiving dish or you forgot a key ingredient before the big meal, here are Delaware grocery stores’ hours on Thanksgiving.
- Wegmans: Wegmans will close early on Thanksgiving at 4 p.m.
- ShopRite: ShopRite will close early at 4 p.m.
- Acme: Acme markets are open until 4 p.m.
- Giant Food: Giant stores are open until 5 p.m.
- Aldi: Aldi locations will be closed on Thanksgiving.
- Food Lion: Food Lion stores will be open until 3 p.m.
- Costco: Costco is closed on Thanksgiving.
Sophia Voight is a growth and development reporter. Reach her with feedback and story tips at svoight@delawareonline.com.
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