Homeless Shelter Evicted

by Shannon Moriarty · 2009-01-01 07:00:00 UTC
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Yes, you read that correctly. The FAITH (Faith Advocacy Impacting the Homeless) Foundation, a drop-in shelter in Hackensack, New Jersey was evicted from its digs for its second time in a year last week.

Apparently FAITH's number one priority, feeding the homeless, was not in line with those of the church where the foundation is located. According to the Wall Street Journal:

The First Reformed Church of Hackensack dismissed the FAITH Foundation in a dispute over rules at its Christmas dinner for about 100 homeless people last week.

Church officials say they wanted a sermon and carols before dinner was fed. But shelter director Robin Reilly started serving food first, saying some patrons hadn't eaten for 24 hours.

Ms. Reilly says she'll try to find a new place to help the homeless. She's storing the group's supplies at another church for now.

The foundation was evicted earlier last April for violating zoning codes.

As mind-boggling as this story is, perhaps it's better that the FAITH organization find a home with it's priorities in order.

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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