Rochester’s Peace Village Plan Draws Concerns From Homeless Advocates
Rochester’s long-delayed effort to rebuild Peace Village is moving forward, but the plan to transform the city’s only sanctioned homeless encampment into a more structured transitional housing site is drawing concerns from advocates who say people experiencing homelessness should have a greater voice in how it operates.
Rochester City Council had been expected to vote Sept. 22 on funding for the Industrial Street site but postponed action until Oct. 6 while details of the proposal are finalized.
The redesigned Peace Village would be significantly different from the informal collection of shelters that once occupied the property.
Residents would have to apply to stay there, and the property would be gated and secured. Rules would govern residency, while Person-Centered Housing Options would provide support services aimed at eventually moving residents into permanent housing.
About 18 people are expected to be housed at the site.
The city plans an initial investment of approximately $1.2 million, funded through Rochester’s share of New York’s opioid settlement money. The funding is expected to support operations through June 2027.
Operating the facility is projected to cost just under $2 million annually, however, leaving questions about its long-term funding.
The project has been years in the making.
Peace Village was established on Industrial Street in 2018 after the city cleared an earlier homeless encampment on South Avenue. The location became an alternative for people who struggled to use traditional shelters because of issues that could include substance use, mental illness or other circumstances.
But conditions eventually deteriorated. Some shelters became dilapidated or were damaged by fire, while garbage and rats became persistent problems.
In 2023, City Council allocated $750,000 to improve the property. The original authorization called for approximately 15 insulated transitional housing units with two beds each, along with hygiene, storage and community facilities.
The city purchased prefabricated shelters from Pallet, a Washington-based company that manufactures small structures designed for people experiencing homelessness.
But the project stalled.
Problems involving nonprofit organizations associated with Peace Village, insurance responsibilities, funding and site preparations delayed installation. The old encampment was demolished in March 2024, while the replacement shelters remained in storage on Dewey Avenue.
Construction has now begun at Industrial Street.
City officials envision the new Peace Village as transitional housing rather than simply a sanctioned encampment. Person-Centered Housing Options would provide case management and other services intended to help residents move toward stable housing.
Some homeless advocates, however, worry that the more structured approach could create barriers for people Peace Village was originally intended to serve.
Angela Meins, a transgender woman who was among the first residents of Peace Village, told WXXI that the original site provided a sense of community for people who did not always feel safe or welcome in conventional shelters.
“We were like a band of brothers and sisters,” Meins said.
She argues that applications, gates and additional rules could make the new Peace Village inaccessible to some people living on the streets.
The dispute highlights a broader issue surrounding programs addressing homelessness: how much input should people who have personally experienced homelessness have in designing them?
Homeless advocate Mickey DiPerna has called for people with lived experience to have significant representation on Peace Village’s advisory board.
DiPerna said those individuals could help policymakers understand why someone experiencing homelessness might — or might not — enter a particular shelter program.
The debate comes as city leaders search for additional ways to address homelessness in Rochester.
Earlier this year, City Council President Miguel Meléndez released an extensive report outlining recommendations for the city’s response to homelessness. Completing Peace Village was among its top recommendations.
For city officials, the redesigned Peace Village represents an opportunity to provide safer shelter while connecting residents with services and ultimately permanent housing.
For critics, the concern is that turning what was once a low-barrier refuge into a regulated transitional housing program could exclude some of Rochester’s most difficult-to-house residents.
After years of delays, the physical shelters are finally being installed.
But the debate surrounding Peace Village is no longer simply about whether Rochester will reopen it. The larger question is what Peace Village will become — and whether the people most likely to need it will have a meaningful role in shaping it.
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