ALHAMBRA - A local church is fighting city zoning
and fire codes that Alhambra officials say bar it from being part of a
program to house homeless families.
Representatives from Alhambra's First Baptist Church say they want
to join with 13 other local host churches in the Family Promise
Program, which asks them to host three to five homeless families for one
week four times a year as part of the church's charity work.
Alhambra officials say the church cannot house the families
because it would be considered a homeless shelter. Based on an ordinance
passed by the City Council in June, 2011, First Baptist is not located
in an area zoned for a shelter, Director of Development Services Mary
Swink said.
Pastor Lee Hamby said the church has been trying to work with
the city for months to get clearance to participate in the program, but
at a meeting in May were told that doing so would violate city laws.
But Hamby said the city's actions and zoning laws violate the
church's First Amendment rights and the Religious Land Use and
Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000.
"The church historically - not just our church, but churches
in general - helps people that are poor, who are homeless," Hamby said.
"Every case law on this has been ruled in favor of the church based on
freedom of religion."
The Family Promise Program is a national nonprofit, founded in
1986, and the San Gabriel branch was founded two years ago by Hamby and
Pastor Ken
Fong of Rosemead's Evergreen Baptist Church.
While the families rotate between 14 host churches to sleep in, during
the days they use the program's resource center to find employment and
housing.
Hamby said his church has always helped the homeless, but Family
Promise seemed like a more effective way to get them back on track.
"We saw this as a way to really help families go from
temporary homelessness back to permanent housing and work and not just
be a Band-Aid," Hamby said.
Despite the setback, since the program began in October 2011
First Baptist has twice hosted families using rental apartments and
other churches instead of their own. Hamby said he still plans to house
families for a third time this month, but will have to put them up in a
hotel because of the city's restrictions.
Alhambra City Manager Julio Fuentes said he is willing to work
with the church and Family Promise to find a different place to house
the families, but that doing so in the church is not legally an option
because of both zoning and fire codes.
Fire Chief Bill Walker agreed that the church's building
would have to undergo serious alterations to be fire-code compliant for
housing families.
"You still have to follow the building and the fire codes to
house people," Fuentes said. "You just can't make makeshift housing
without obviously adhering to the proper building codes because safety
is still an issue."
Fuentes said the city is not against organizations that help
the homeless, and said it spent more than $500,000 last year on homeless
programs.
But San Gabriel Valley Family Promise Board President Karen
Roberson said she thinks hosting the families is no different from a
sleepover for the church youth group or an overnight prayer service.
She said she never thought to ask for city permission, and
that the other cities she has worked with have shown support for the
program. The host churches stretch from Pasadena to Rosemead, including
First Baptist Church of Pasadena, South Pasadena Christian Church,
Sierra Madre United Methodist Church and Mission Valley Free Methodist
Church in San Gabriel.
The cities of Rosemead and Monterey Park have given Family Promise grants, Roberson said.
"Generally we don't ask permission because this is a mission
ministry of the churches," she said. "This is part of what churches do."
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