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Crosswind gets land
donation for group home
Published Tuesday, August 25
By L.A. Story
Staff Writer
With a land donation in hand, there is an atmosphere of optimism despite Crosswind Ministry's recent setback for the plan to build a place of hope for young single mothers.
Though he expressed disappointment and frustration at first, Crosswind Ministry Director Bobby Capps said he realizes God has plans of His own - and a time frame of His own - and the design may just be grander than what the people at Crosswind originally had in mind.
The ministry had recently tried to obtain a property but found that it would have to be rezoned for C-1 neighborhood commercial in order to use the property for their intended purpose - as a group home for young single mothers.
The location, at 3112 Kendrick, seemed ideal as it was near a neighborhood that could "serve as a positive influence on the women" that would be living there, Capps had said previously.
"These girls deserve to have their kids play in a backyard like mine did and have a nice house in a nice neighborhood ... to get a glimpse of a future that they could have," said Capps.
The problem came when rumors in the neighborhood around the property began and many were voiced during the public hearing with the Corinth Board of Mayor and Alderman, when the property's rezoning was to be decided. Neighbors said they felt the use of the property as a group home would be bad for property values, and several people said they feared the group home would be populated by drug addicts and other undesirable individuals.
The hearing ended with the board deadlocked 3-3 on a motion to approve the zoning change, and Mayor Jerry Latch cast the deciding vote against the change.
Looking toward the future, there is a strong sense of optimism. Capps said the day after the rezoning was denied, someone came by his office and donated 15 acres in "an excellent location for a single mom's home." The size of the location would be conducive to eventual expansion and a number of other opportunities. Construction plans and funding will be among the next hurdles to face, but Capps expressed faith that circumstances would fall into place.
Regarding the tense public hearing, it is the fear that Capps wanted to address. He said he felt rumors were allowed to grow and become something that turned "single moms into monsters." Capps explained that personal relationships and understanding each other could change all of that - personal relationships, trust and understanding of both the young mothers who would receive the helping hand they need and with Crosswind Ministry.
"Those people didn't know us ... they don't know Crosswind or me ... so, there's no trust there. I overheard one man say, 'there's no telling what they would have done,' but if they knew us they would know that we would have made that home a beautiful gateway to that neighborhood. Something they could have been proud of," said Capps. "It is when you tap into people's fears that you find prejudice. And, if you were to get to know and love these young women - then it's personalized and the situation changes."
He holds no ill feelings toward the people in the neighborhood who opposed the group home and said he feels simple misinformation regarding the home's purpose was what fueled the debate. Now, he worries about the owner, Scott Nunley, and hopes that Nunley did not suffer because of the controversy. He said he hopes that Nunley will be able to sell the property, which was adapted for the various commercial uses it has been utilized for in the past, as a residential property and not take a loss.
