DOORS SHUT

Appeals Court Blocks Opening of Philadelphia Youth Migrant Facility

VisionQuest’s facility was originally blocked due to zoning issues amid a months-long legal battle with city authorities.

A Pennsylvania appeals court blocked the opening of a youth migrant facility in Philadelphia on Wednesday amid a months-long legal battle to open the center, local news station WHYY reports. Commonwealth Court Judge Anne E. Covey said VisionQuest, a subcontractor for the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement, did not adequately prove they would suffer “irreparable harm” if they could not place the children in the contested facility. The organization was given permission to place up to 60 teenagers in the facility, but the city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections issued a zoning violation that prevented them from moving forward. VisionQuest says the move impedes their ability to help tackle crowding in current migrant facilities. “Here we are with a wonderful facility, empty,” VisionQuest attorney Carl Primavera said. “We’re disappointed [in Judge Covey’s order], but it’s part of the process and we just keep moving forward.”