The Calvary Task Force at its Oct. 1 meeting showed support for the continuation of the SHARE shelter located in the old Calvary Lutheran Church on the condition that changes are made to the screening process to keep sex offenders, such as the one recently removed from the shelter, out of the neighborhood.

The task force is comprised of neighbors, SHARE representatives and representatives of Our Redeemer's Lutheran Church, who operate the shelter.

Neighborhood members of the task force presented a survey they had taken of the neighborhood that showed some residents want SHARE to implement sex offender background checks when screening for new shelter residents, a practice they have previously refused to do.

According to notes from the meeting provided by Our Redeemer's, there was disagreement within the task force over whether or not the survey fairly represents the opinion of the neighborhood as a whole.

The task force's neighborhood members also dropped off copies of a petition before the meeting. The petition, signed by neighbors, states that SHARE and Our Redeemer's have a choice between conducting sex offender checks or shutting down the shelter.

SHARE's screening process, which does not include background checks, for the Calvary Luthern Shelter at 7002 23rd Ave. N.W. was a major issue among residents before the shelter moved in May 30.

It was raised again when a sex offender was reported living in the shelter Sept. 12. The offender was immediately removed from the shelter.

According to notes from Our Redeemer's, task force members acknowledged that, apart from the screening process, SHARE's shelter procedures, including peer supervision and restricted access to the shelter during the day, have been effective.

SHARE has agreed to disallow any new shelter members until this matter is resolved. That, combined with a lack of SHARE funding for bus passes, has dropped the number of shelter residents from 20 to eight.

Our Redeemer's Lutheran Church council will meet today, Oct. 3, to consider possible changes to SHARE screening protocol. The next Calvary Task Force meeting is Nov. 5.

Rebecca Butler, spokesperson for Our Redeemer's, addressed questions about how neighborhood members were admitted to the task force. She said the neighborhood members are residents who volunteered for the position during a May meeting on the shelter and were then selected as representatives by their peers.