The city of Cleveland this afternoon — yes, on Christmas Eve — told a church that it can no longer function as a church if it chooses to house those experiencing homelessness.
In a letter taped to the door of the church, the Cleveland Department of Public Safety demanded that the Denison Avenue United Church of Christ (UCC) change the official use of the building from its existing status as a place of worship should it continue to house some of the city’s most vulnerable residents. The church stepped up to provide this essential service to assist the Metanoia Project, a local nonprofit that provides, among other things, a hospitality shelter for the unsheltered homeless.
In the late fall, Councilperson Dona Brady told UCC’s pastor, Nozomi Ikuta, that she was opposed to this effort. Ikuta continued to operate the shelter service despite Brady’s warnings. Ikuta told Scene that she was expecting to hear about a path forward that would allow her building to comply with the standards required to do this work, but Ikuta never expected a demand like this.
“A sprinkler system is a hard ask,” Ikuta told Scene. “To admit that we’re no longer a church is a different ask. We’re being told to make a choice between saying we are no longer a church and selling our homeless friends down the river.” Ikuta noted that safety and code compliance are obviously a primary goal of the church and that they are prepared to navigate a path forward in that regard. This demand, however, is outside of the realm of what they are willing to consider.
“My question is why? Is it about safety? Is it about covering their butts in case anything goes down legally? Or is it about a political vendetta? How would we know and which percentage? They are not mutually exclusive possibilities.”
In response to an inquiry about the cease of use order, Councilperson Brady told Scene that, “This is the first I heard of it” and “I have not received any information.” However, a source privy to conversations within city hall told Scene today that, several weeks ago, Brady claimed to be using the building and housing enforcement systems to shut down the efforts of UCC.
Joseph Mead, a Cleveland State University law professor, told Scene that, “If Cleveland is telling a church that they have to choose between being a church and serving people experiencing homelessness, that is clearly illegal.” Mead, who does not speak on behalf of his institution, has studied the criminalization of homelessness and offered these views based on his study and knowledge. “The First Amendment says that cities cannot target religious or expressive organizations for special burdens. If there is a conflict between the First Amendment and local building codes, the First Amendment wins.”
The cease of use notice comes only a day after the Metanoia Project and the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH) organized a protest at City Hall to demand that essential and life-saving shelter services will continue to be provided to those most in need.
“Six people have frozen to death over the past few years and the unsheltered homeless population continues to rise,” NEOCH executive director, Chris Knestrick told Scene. Rather than working to fill this unmet need, Knestick says Councilperson Brady appears to be hyper-focused on attacking UCC and Metanoia and shutting them down. “Requiring the church to change its use is really problematic… [The city has] already suffered so much from segregation and racist policies and [it needs] to deal with those issues.”
Scene reached out to Council President Kevin Kelley and the Cleveland City Council communications department for comment. Neither party could be reached as of publication.
This article appears in Dec 18-24, 2019.
There are many issues to consider: Are there so many homeless being attracted that it is endangering the culture of the neighborhood? Or are property values being negatively impacted? Or are there urination and defication problems on the streets? Need I cite San Francisco’s homeless population problems? Programs and policies that attract large numbers of homeless people only exacerbates the problem just as welfare has grown exponentially instead of helping people to help themselves. A cot and three hots cannot be the end game and is not an acceptable solution.
Who cares about property values, these are human beings
The city often does the wrong thing for the city residents .sometimes it seems as if the city is attacking it’s own citizens. I resided here for thirty years and I am one of the only residents left near my house and the city seems to target me sometimes by ticketing my cars and denying me the properties as a yard around me .the city needs to respect it’s own residents and be more people friendly .James Majors Slavic village …
Politicians… Wow.. They rather see people on the streets freezing. Dieing. Hungry. Then to solve the issues at hand. Has God ever turned His back on anyone? NO. So why does human beings in power think they are better than God? There is nobody better than God… My prayers are with all those who are going through troublesome times.. Merry Christmas And Happy New Year….
Looking to read pages 2 and 3…
Cleveland = disorganized crime..smh
These are not Progressives running things around here.
Apparently – Law Professor Joe Mead has gotten some flak from CSU admin for his legal interpretation of the situation: Joseph Mead, a Cleveland State University law professor, told Scene that, “If Cleveland is telling a church that they have to choose between being a church and serving people experiencing homelessness, that is clearly illegal.” Mead, who does not speak on behalf of his institution, has studied the criminalization of homelessness and offered these views based on his study and knowledge. “The First Amendment says that cities cannot target religious or expressive organizations for special burdens. If there is a conflict between the First Amendment and local building codes, the First Amendment wins.”
Meanwhile – the “experts” in solving homelessness – CHN and Eden with their Emerald Alliance Housing First construction projects (google CHN inspector bribes -kickbacks for CDCs) – declared problem solved earlier this year. Shhh …they collect rent in form of SSI and HUD monies from their tenants….all tax-free, because you know they claim a hospital exemption for their stellar services to aid the disabled…only their tenants don’t fall under that disabled definition.
Regardless of what exacerbates the problem of homelessness, this is alarming considering the fact that first amendment rights were clearly violated here.
All won’t it be nice if you put your money where
How about going over to the church and picking up a half dozen homeless and take them into your home to celebrate Christmas dinner with your family. You might consider stopping to pick up some personal hygiene products so they can shower at your house also. How about some new clothes to wear after the shower? Don’t forget to get something for the bed bugs and roaches.
To Zxerxes – by all means, let’s take away programs that “attract” the homeless population. That will solve the problem. Out of sight out of mind, right? We should definitely get rid of psychiatric hospitals and treatment centers as well. Don’t forget about food pantries. God forbid families eat when they can’t afford to. Definitely need to shut down all inner city schools in low income areas as well. They might attract gang violence. We better get rid of all forms of birth control, too. People might start to think you can have sex without consequences, causing giant orgies to break out all over.
I know what should solve all of this… another ma$$ive tax increase from the likes of Taxin Jackson and thief Budish!!!
I have spoken with Pastor Nazomi years ago when I owned a rental property in the area years ago.
I had some tenants with mental health that she was very helpful with. I have a great deal of respect for the work she does. She is a wonderful human.
Could this be because of those she is helping the residents and the “city” feels like they are losing out money, could the city receive more money to run their shelters? This is what churches always been about.
If this is Democratic Socialism than I want no part of it. Since when does the city have the right to tell churches how to run their ministry? This is a violation of the churches right under the Constitution. I think the city would end up the loser if the church filed a lawsuit against the city, to protect it’s self as an institution that serves the needy people of the area.
Councilmember Dona Brady certainly sounds like a heartless, cold-blooded GOP official with a healthy dose of NIMBY thrown in — at least as far as the homeless are concerned.
The UCC parish is following Jesus’ lead, trying to live out the Gospel and “love one another.” I hope that Councilmember Brady and other opponents of a church housing the honmeless to keep people from freezing to death — who probably consider themselves uptight, God-fearing people — are at least passingly familiar with the 25th Chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew:
“… 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me…..
40 Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
Imagine if you will a city in today’s day and age, needing to keep moving in a Forward direction of positive press. Cleveland springs to mind. All the positive things happening for us over the last say, five years or so.
Now comes a chance for City Government to get behind an organization, a faith based one at that, and assist them with a novel approach to aiding our human brothers and sisters. We could set a standard that others would follow by putting the best minds of heart, soul and civic planning together to work on this LARGE and growing National problem. But our Mayor would rather put his best efforts and it appears some members of his team on projects leading nowhere and garnering nothing but BAD press, cue the motor bike track. I can just hear now a John Belusi classic type rant (but NOOOOOO) ending in him falling out of his Weekend Update chair. This exemplifies an example of what goes off in my head when I hear of our leaders acting in such a negative and empty way. Imagine how dangerous of a City we could become if we ALL came together to work on solutions based on common sense and compassion, rather than: What’s in it for me? How can we benefit all and not the individual fiefdoms governed by all the separate and NOT equal council members?
Government hates the competition on it’s city wide welfare scam. Better to steal money from the taxpayers because that buys votes……and private charity does not. Service to the poor is a function the church was intended for, not a bloated, corrupt, and completely inept government in the City of Cleveland