CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WCNC) — A fiery crowd packed the Hickory Grove Library in east Charlotte Thursday night to voice their outrage against a program that allows sex offenders to move into a house in their neighborhood.
The half-way house sits at the 4000 block of McAlpine Lane in east Charlotte.
Residents found out about the experimental program late last year.
State and local representatives were on hand to answer questions about how this was allowed without their knowledge.
“How dare you put them people in our neighborhood! What is wrong with you? You are our elected officials, how did you let this happen? You should be ashamed,” said one woman.
Homeowners complained that the state had failed to thoroughly research how such a program would affect their neighborhood.
They say as many as six buses make their way to the nearby bus stop. The house is also is adjacent to a park frequented by children. There are six kids under 15 years of age living directly next door. Victoria Golbe says in all, 10 children live on her block.
Residents in a Charlotte, North Carolina neighborhood voice their outrage against a program that allows sex offenders to move in next door without their knowledge.
“Shut it down, we want it shut down we want it removed from our street. There are better roads to put this type of home on,” says Golbe.
One resident said her property value dropped $22,000 since December of last year.
A mother of two said her family had outgrown their home and needed more space, tearfully asked what can be done to sell her house.
“Our address is all over the news in Charlotte. I won’t be able to sell my house and I’m afraid I’ll be stuck up the road in a situation I’m not comfortable with. Is there any remediation for people who want to leave?” she asked.
Residents say they were blindsided, and never told the yellow house at the end of a cul-de-sac would be would house six sex offenders at a time.
An employee with the State Department of Safety says the convicted sex offenders are sent there as a ‘last resort,’ when options have been exhausted to find housing.
Since homeless shelters have stopped allowing sex offenders in, the state says the problem has been magnified.
“We struggled for years now trying to find adequate housing for sex offenders. This is a program, an initiative we are trying. Obviously this has not settled well with this neighborhood and it may be something we have to look at,” said Supervisor Tracey Lee with the State Department of Public Safety.
Sex offenders are required to register, but the state is not obligated to inform residents when they take part in a housing program such as this.
“It’s my understanding that it was left up to the vendor to do that notification,” said Lee.
The state selected, Bradley Reid Corporation, which runs housing programs for homeless veterans through a bidding process.
The group runs one of two Second Chance transition programs in the state. The other home is in Wilmington.
The state says Bradley Reid met all the necessary requirement, and has a one-year contract which can be renewed for another year.
For now, the state does not plan to shut the house down.
State Representative Rodney Moore plans to visit the neighborhood next week. He says existing laws may need to be revised to make sure this does not happen again.
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