As most respondents were in opposition, we received a lot of comments for this section. Some were long, well-written essays. Reasons to oppose the project varied significantly. They were roughly along the following categories.

Fear for Personal, Family and Community Safety

• “I am comfortable having my children run around Charlestown and, with this, I would not be. It would deprive them of their childhood.”
• “I have a right to my personal security.”
• “I am a single female and feel safe walking the Harbor Walk in the evening. I will NOT feel safe if BPDA pushes this through”
•  “A number of active drug users will now be living in a predominantly residential area.  This will most likely attract dealers into the neighborhood.  It is a simple fact of supply and demand”

Concern for the Wellness of Future Residents

• “There is simply no infrastructure to responsibly support this population and it is negligent to proceed without a concrete plan”
• “There is no work within walking distance, and there is a liquor store within a block.  You are not setting these people up for success”
• “Based on the information provided here and other sources that I’ve read, I can’t support PSH. I do support affordable housing.”
• “The lack of affordable, work-force, family housing in favor of an almost exclusive concentration of studio apartments, creates a de facto single room occupancy flop house.”
• “In general ‘Housing first’ doesn’t work unless there is robust support and supervision; the proposal would need 10x the support and round-the-clock supervision to provide what is needed.”

A Sense of Injustice to the Residents and the Community

• “There are no requirements for sobriety at the Helm. Individuals will be given housing in exchange for…nothing. There is no requirement that someone who is being given a roof over their head enter treatment or some form of rehab. I think this is wrong.”
• “Severe reduction in the services and space offered by the YMCA without any benefit or compensation to the community.”
• “This must stay a commercial hotel or regular residential and sports community site as it was for 40 years.”
• “There are development projects in the books or in the planning stages that will more than double the population of Charlestown in the next 10 years, all with affordable housing components. We can’t handle that amount of population growth and we already have more than our fair share of affordable housing at this point.  The rest of the City needs to do their part.”
• “Charlestown already has more low-income/assisted housing than other Boston neighborhoods; dumping homeless here is unfair to the community and the homeless. If the City wanted to put families or refugees into the building, the neighborhood would likely support that as they have supported similar housing.”
• “St. Francis and POUA have not shared what benefits the Navy Yard community will have from the addition of this project – new bus routes?  A grocery store or pharmacy?  Additional out of school time activities for families and children?”

A Lack of Trust in the Proponents

•  “Added insult is the way the YMCA has conducted its business without transparency, inclusion of community and an open process. The YMCA advisory board must represent the community and the opposition.  It is their duty.”
• “I have listened in on three separate Zoom calls and the SFH has yet to address the issue of risks to the neighborhood.  I felt that questions around this issue were given short shrift.  Myself and others thought that the proponents were quite dismissive of questions regarding the issue of personal safety.”
• “Because of the strategy of holding several small Zoom calls, misinformation and disinformation is spreading.  The content of the calls depended on the questions being asked and many did not delve into the fact that there is no requirement for sobriety.  I have heard from many who argue erroneously that this proposal is a sober house.”
• “They need to be more transparent.”
• “The whole process seems to have been mis-managed and not based on efficacy.”
• “This proposal was secretly foisted upon the community and presented as a done deal.  As a result, there is a distinct lack of trust in the community from the outset.  It has not been diminished at all by the misguided strategy of small, selective Zoom calls that were not opened up to the community until people started to complain.”
• “When asked about the process of evicting a resident who may present a problem, the property manager answered 6 – 9 months.  Two real estate attorneys were on the same call as I was and they pushed back on this stating that, in fact, it takes the better part of two years to evict someone.”  
  

Concerns for the Local Economy

• “The proposed Helm on Third is a stone’s throw away from the entrance to the National Park that is home to the USS Constitution. The National Park is planning to spend millions of dollars in a new visitor center and other enhancements to the area.”
• “Charlestown is a world wide tourist attraction. This project will destroy the appeal.”
• “Don’t forget that this will affect the local tourist attractions, restaurants, hotels, retailers and healthcare facilities.”
• “A better use would be a hotel that would support tourism or perhaps a youth hostel to provide a low cost option for visiting students.”