On The Front Lines
In the Midst of an Economic Downturn, The Rutherford Institute Helps Local Church Resist Attempts to Shut Down Homeless Shelter
Charlottesville, VA -- The Rutherford Institute is helping a local homeless shelter resist efforts by city officials to force it to cease providing overnight accommodations for 30-50 homeless individuals.
"At a time when the economy is spiraling downward and homelessness is on the rise, the city should be doing all it can to help Hope Community Center keep its doors open and offer its services to the disadvantaged in need," said John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. "The City should be working with this shelter to make sure they can stay open. It's a time for empathy and compassion for the poor. This is a public problem, and one that we need to deal with effectively as a community."
Located on 11th Street, in a part of downtown Charlottesville that has been targeted by federal and local government agencies for a socio-economic lift, Hope Community Center offers numerous programs designed to assist disadvantaged persons in improving their lives, such as after-school activities for children of working parents, computer literacy programs and job-oriented seminars. Following the closing a local winter shelter, the Center, which was started by Pastor Harold Bare in 1998, has since come to the aid of a number of area homeless men, women and children, providing them with food and shelter, as well as employment-related workshops, computer training and transportation to area job fairs during the day. Hope Community Center has consistently been providing overnight shelter for 30 to 50 homeless people, some of whom are originally residents of the neighborhood. After fully funding the Center's programs through personal and private donations, Pastor Bare approached the City in January 2008 for help in keeping the shelter afloat and continuing to provide needy members of the community with a cot and a warm meal. Instead of the funding they needed, the Center was cited for violating a zoning ordinance, which prohibits overnight shelters in residential neighborhoods, and threatened with closure. With approximately 58 beds available, the Salvation Army is the only other option at present for area disadvantaged persons in need of overnight shelter. However, current estimates place the area homeless population at approximately 292. City officials are reportedly considering allowing homeless shelters to receive special-use permits, but no decision has yet been made.
Attorneys for The Rutherford Institute filed a Board of Zoning Appeals Petition on behalf of Hope Community Center on March 27, 2008. The appeal is scheduled to be heard by the Board of Zoning Appeals on April 17, 2008.
