Tharros homeless tent village opening delayed

The Tharros tent village at the former Delaware State Police Troop 7 property on Coastal Highway outside Lewes will not open as scheduled Saturday, March 15, while the organizer seeks a conditional-use permit from Sussex County.

Mike Agnew, site director for Tharros and the Code Purple winter shelters, said he expects county council to vote as early as mid-April. If approved, Tharros will open the next day, he said.

He said he has been in discussions with the administration of Gov. Matt Meyer since January. He said Meyer is requiring the village to go through the county.

Agnew said he met with Sussex County Administrator Todd Lawson, who offered to accelerate the process, according to Agnew.

As of March 13, Lawson said the county has not seen an application, so he’s unable to comment on what the timeline might be. But, he called a mid-April decision optimistic.

Agnew had a memorandum of understanding with the Carney administration to allow the tent village to open last October for a 45-day trial. They were not required to get county approval. Agnew called that trial very successful.

Tharros, which is a Greek word meaning courage, can accommodate 28 tents. Last year, guests were required to use case management services.

Agnew said his short-term goal is to try to prevent homeless encampments in the woods from filling the gap.

“Case management will drop off, because case managers are not going into the woods. The ability for [guests] to go to work every day out of an encampment is much more difficult than at Tharros. People were clean, ready to go to work and didn’t have to worry about their possessions. The encampments also create a health hazard,” he said.

Tharros received support from community partners including Beebe Healthcare, First State Community Action Agency, Delaware State Police and Casella Waste Systems. 

The Delaware Department of Transportation said the salt barn structure built on the site next to the village in the fall will remain all year. Agnew said he is talking to the state about allowing service providers and emergency vehicles access to the open area behind the structure.

The Code Purple men’s shelter at St. Jude the Apostle Church in Lewes and the women’s shelter at the Lutheran Church of Our Savior in Rehoboth Beach close for the season the morning of March 15.

He said both shelters saw increased demand this winter.

“We were at capacity from Day 1 in both shelters all the way through the season. In January, we asked the fire marshal to go beyond the 14 [guests],” Agnew said. He said they had as many as 25 men in the St. Jude shelter on some nights.

He said the increase meant they had to have a fire watch, at least one volunteer awake in the shelter at all times overnight. He said about 40 volunteers stepped up to take on that duty.

Agnew said shelter guests who are over 55 years old and unable to work will qualify for temporary hotel vouchers. He said they are trying to find housing for others.

He said two guests have moved into Casa San Francisco in Milton.

Agnew said if the county were to reject Tharros, there is no Plan B.

“The beauty of this property is the 7.5-acre buffer that exists between this and other properties. I believe you’ll see some communities concerned about it, but their concerns should rest on the fact that, if not for Tharros, then we’ll have a homeless encampments there [in the woods] anyway, because there’s no other place,” he said.

The City of Lewes gave Tharros $25,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act for a chain-link fence and utility connections at the Troop 7 site. Agnew said he has been in contact with the city about the delayed opening.

Agnew said, despite the delay, Tharros is committed to offering shelter, food, healthcare access and social services.

“Our goal is to create pathways to sustainable independence, offering not just a place to stay, but also an opportunity to rebuild their lives with dignity, respect and hope for the future,” Agnew said.