LEWES, Del. - Organizers of Tharros Village, a tent community for people experiencing homelessness off Route 1 in Lewes, are asking Sussex County to amend a conditional use ordinance to allow items to remain on site year-round.
Tharros Village currently operates from March 15 through Dec. 1. During the off-season, the site is cleared and tents and supplies are removed.
Organizers say the requested change would allow them to build up the site, including installing more durable tents that better protect people from the elements.
Tharros Village organizers say they have an agreement with the state to store items at the location, but a change to the county ordinance is still required.
Frank Arena, director of governance for Tharros Village, said the ordinance change would allow the organization to move forward with planned upgrades to the site.
“Last year, we brought in water, which was really helpful because we had done bottled water drives to provide that,” Arena said. “Now we have on-site water amenities.”
Arena said the organization plans to add electricity so guests can charge devices and safely store medications.
“Importantly, a number of our guests are on medical insulin, and that requires cooling, especially during the summer,” Arena said.
The requested ordinance change will be discussed at the Sussex County Planning and Zoning meeting on Jan. 21 at 3:00 p.m.