Communities of homeless people living in the vacant church in Brunswick were forced to vacate the premises because of safety concerns. The congregation members attempted to halt the officials, but the authorities could still enter the building.
Homeless Community
A report from First Coasts View, the daytime shelter known as "The Well" located in the downtown district of Brunswick, was shuttered for the next 65 days by the City of Brunswick last week. There have been allegations of violent behavior involving persons who are without homes.
The most recent incident involved a homeless guy named Troy Rogers III, who was accused of rape and child abuse. Lyde and Small proposed using the empty church at the corner of Gordon and G Street as a stopgap measure. The facility was initially put to use for warehousing purposes.
They have till Tuesday, Apr. 25, at three o'clock in the afternoon to ensure that the location complies with the city's regulations. The neighborhood's homeless population and volunteers from the surrounding community collaborated for several hours to clean up the church and find solutions to the problems as quickly as possible.
As mentioned, Small noted that the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act protects what they are doing. According to Small, a church is free to locate wherever in the city so long as there is no significant reason why it should not do so.
As per Yahoo News, according to McDuffie, volunteer contractors who were working on the building on Tuesday, Apr. 25, will be granted permission to continue their work on bringing the structure up to code; however, to do so, they will be required to follow the appropriate processes and obtain the appropriate permissions.
Also Read: California Church Looking To Build New Properties To House The Homeless
New Ordinance on Shelter or Homeless Service Providers
The Brunswick News reported that any organization that provides shelter or assistance for the homeless must comply with the requirements of the new legislation and submit an application for a permit before receiving permission from the City Commission and the city's Planning and Appeals Commission. According to McDuffie, it is the city's responsibility to ensure that it considers all its citizens, not only those homeless.
Moreover, in response to a tip that homeless persons assembled in the building throughout the night on Saturday, Apr. 22, city police were dispatched to the intersection of G and Gordon Streets. According to the daily police call logs, the caller reported suspicious behavior alongside a work truck and that people were visibly using the restroom outside in plain view of others. The caller also stated that the action occurred in plain view of others.
The government says that another reason for closing down the facility is to protect the people living on the streets. Who is to blame if flames consume this building? Angela Smith, who serves as the Assistant Police Chief, questioned Lyde.
"I would say you did it," Lyde said in response. It takes the people staying in the facility at least half an hour to remove their possessions, including their food and water, using wheelchairs, shopping carts, and their own two hands. Many people shouted out questions about which direction they should go, but they were still waiting for someone to answer them.
Related Article: Safety Concerns Arise at Seattle Church Due to Homeless Encampment Outside
