CdA wants boardinghouses for sex offenders shuttered

Coeur d’Alene is asking a judge to shut down two men’s boardinghouses because they don’t have permits to operate in residential areas.

Attorney Mike Haman, who represents the city, said Coeur d’Alene has tried to work with The Lord’s House manager but he refuses to apply for the special-use permits.

Haman said permits are required so the city can ensure public safety, such as adequate parking, fire code regulations and traffic concerns. He added that the background of the men isn’t at issue.

The Lord’s House consists of two transitional homes, one at 724 E. Hastings Ave. and the other at 1932 N. Ninth Street.

Jack Landreth, a registered sex offender who says he recently became an ordained minister, manages the two homes and lives in the Hastings Avenue house. He said the city has threatened and intimidated him for two years, since neighbors complained that sex offenders were living in the homes. A third home on 15th Street closed in August because the owner didn’t want to get involved in court, Landreth said.

He said that the homes are for men who otherwise would be homeless. In the past four years, the homes have helped about 250 men, he said. Currently, each house shelters six men who must have jobs, abstain from drugs and alcohol and attend church.

Landreth said he’s transforming the nonprofit program into a ministry for men. Instead of paying rent, the men now pay $250 to participate in the program. For that they get a bed. He said that should satisfy some of the city’s concerns because it could no longer define the homes as a boardinghouse.

Neighbor Susie Snedaker said she was glad the city took action. She said the neighbors initially complained in April 2005.