Court-Ordered Compassion

by Shannon Moriarty · 2009-10-23 09:42:00 UTC
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Have our nation's embedded fears and misconceptions of poor and homeless people gotten out of hand? A shelter provider recently went to court for clearance to continue serving homeless people in a central Pennsylvania rural community. This unsettling case left me asking one question: have we evolved to a place where compassion must be court-ordered?

The First Apostle's Doctrine Church in Brookville, PA has been housing homeless people from the town of less than 5,000 in its Just for Jesus shelter. Town officials tried to shut down the shelter last November, citing zoning code violations that prohibit group homes. In order to keep its doors open to the area's homeless, the church sued the town for civil-liberties violation. Yesterday, the court ruled in the church's favor, allowing the shelter to keep its doors open.

Things sure can get ugly when judgments, stigmas, and stereotypes trump compassion.

Sure, there may be more going on beneath the surface in this story (like a sour relationship between church and local government officials). But sadly, this type of situation is not uncommon. Some government officials wrongly believe that providing services - like a shelter or soup kitchen - will have a bees-to-honey effect, attracting homeless people from other communities. This belief is misguided, short-sighted, and outright mean.

Clearly, if the shelter beds were being used, the town of Brookville has a need for shelter. Rather than attacking the safety net, why not look at local government-initiated strategies for combating the root causes of homelessness? Create affordable housing, develop the local economy, work in conjunction with the church to see that no basic human needs are being unmet.

Some of the most effective and innovative solutions for homelessness have been created locally.

Image: Diane M. Byrne

Shannon Moriarty has worked in various homeless shelters and service organizations around the country. She is a graduate student studying housing and urban policy at Tufts University.
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