Hundreds Suffer As City Shuts Down Church For Helping The Homeless
A church in Davenport, Iowa, facing zoning restrictions related to its outreach program to feed the homeless, is appealing its local council and questioning the legality of the city’s regulations. This all stems from a cease and desist order they received — because feeding the homeless is not allowed when you’re zoned as a church.
Pastor Jim Swope founded Timothy’s House of Hope in 2009 and is associated with Compassion Church, which was founded by Pastor Nick Cantwell. One of the primary missions of the church is focused on outreach to poor and homeless individuals, offering addiction resources, haircuts, a food pantry, clothing, and meals at no charge, according to the ministry’s website. Timothy’s House of Hope center has estimated thousands of meals served each month.
Timothy’s House of Hope recently moved its operation from West 4th Street to Washington Street, which is where the Compassion Church is located. The center’s location change resulted in its closure just days later due to what has been described as “zoning issues.”
While the House of Hope was allowed to serve meals at the 4th Street location, their move to Washington Street is reportedly in violation of zoning ordinances. The church is permitted to operate on Washington Street, but “services to the homeless” are prohibited due to zoning regulations, according to the Quad-City Times.
Bruce Berger, Davenport’s economic development and planning director, said that the property must first be classified as a “Planned Institutional District” specified for “Housing and Supporting Services.”
The city appears to have taken a general position of seeking to abide by zoning regulations. Davenport Mayor Frank Klipsch told WQAD News 8 that “We can’t let this be interpreted in any way that we do not support the great work that timothy house of hope is doing,” and has said that the city is reaching out to the city attorney to check the possibility of re-opening as the zoning issues are addressed.
In the meantime, however, to hell with the homeless people who need the food. They can starve whilst the church files the proper paperwork and red tape to help people.
In addition to the zoning issues, Swope has claimed that Davenport Alderman Ray Ambrose is specifically opposed to the notion of a homeless outreach center operating on Washington Street. According to Swope, Ambrose confronted him and “just lit into me and said he didn’t want bums on top of the hill” following the center’s relocation.
The Quad City Times reported that Ambrose acknowledged that he doesn’t view the center as a good fit for the area, which is a business district that he described as “most iconic.”
“It’s a huge issue with me and I’ll fight it to the very end,” Ambrose was quoted as saying. “I don’t have a warm and fuzzy feeling for the homeless as other people do.”
According to Radio Iowa, Ambrose “says the church lied about its plans and that a homeless outreach center does not fit into his vision for the district.”
A group of community members spoke out at a city council meeting on April 26 urging the city to allow the center to reinstate operations. Mike Meloy, an attorney working with the Compassion Church, argued that the “city of Davenport’s actions violate Pastor (Jim) Swope and Pastor (Nick) Cantwell’s religious freedom of association and religious rights protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution (and) Article 1 section 3 of the Iowa Constitution.”
Drew Klein, state director for Americans for Prosperity-Iowa, shared his thoughts on the controversy. “It is truly appalling that city officials are citing long ignored zoning regulations to shut down a ministry that has done nothing but serve underprivileged members of the Davenport community,” Klein noted.
Klein was among other individuals at the meeting who called out Ambrose’s comments about the homeless and said that “Alderman Ray Ambrose’s words on this issue have been particularly distasteful, referring to members of the homeless community as bums and claiming he does not share his community’s sympathy for these individuals.”
“Shuttering a ministry that is doing incredible work in the community is probably not what their voters had in mind,” Klein added.
Klipsch reiterated that the city was hoping to work with the Compassion Church and Timothy’s House of Hope to reach a solution and that the issue was presented to the city as a zoning problem, not an act of opposing the work of the church.
Pro Deo et Constitutione –
Libertas aut Mors Semper Vigilans Fortis
Paratus et Fidelis
Joseph F Barber
My mission is to empower men and women by helping them to discover their true inner and outer beauty & Strengths. When you look better, you feel better and when you feel better, you can change your life. The key to success whether it be your wedding day to your career is self-esteem My goal is to provide anyone with a professional service that will let them achieve the goals and sophistication that meets each persons needs
Our goal is for you to look great, feel like you're on top of the world, and be fabulous. In my career as a soldier an citizens I have spent years training and teaching young men and women to be the best they can be for themselves and and their families, we promise to never stop learning and to do Our absolute best and put our right foot forward, Our job is never done and there is always a higher goal We can achieve. We Love every aspect in helping Our fellow veterans Improve their lives and We our so thrilled and excited for our future with learning and passing on our own techniques.
We believe that to meet the challenges of our times, human beings will have to develop a greater sense of universal responsibility. Each of us must learn to work not just for one self, one's own family or one's nation, but for the benefit of all humankind. Universal responsibility is the key to human survival. It is the best foundation for world peace.
“We have for many years lived with the knowledge that we, the masses, the working class, the poor, the white, the black, the brown, the immigrants, the Christians, the Muslims, the atheists, the soldiers/ex-soldiers, the peaceniks, the communists, the anarchists, the students, the people, across the spectrum, we all have a common cause”
We have served in many nations my friends with a uniform and with out one, we the free have many colors none of which go by a uniform when a man or a women decides to stand in defiance of tyranny and injustice.every thing you have ever been taught about the human race you have to forget every thing, and use your heart to see the world has one human family with no boundaries or color just human beings who need a hand of gently kindness and understanding with out any judgment only compassion and love to heals their wounds
Please forward this to as many of your contacts that you can and ask them to support this cause and to forward it to their contacts as well.
Thanks for your support if you would like to make a donation please do so by sending or going to your closest Chase bank
and make a deposit :Suzanne Button Family Assistance Campaign manager Routing # 322271627 or contact the project @ 442-257-6553 or you can mail your donations to 11123 Valencia st, Oak Hills Ca ,92344
People who believe in the sanctity of life We have come to see that Government Alone Can't Take Care Of Our Veterans
"One organization or one government can't support the entire veteran population in the way that they need — not after over a dozen years of war with thousands of military families sacrificing,"
"But if more people pull together and take a more active approach, we'll get a lot more done."
"We have to change our thinking,"
"We can't expect our government to be the whole part and parcel of being the caretaker of men and women in the military."
Supporting the troops is not a political position, but a community responsibility. It comes down to awareness. Because less than one percent of the American population serves in the military, the majority of the country isn't attuned to veterans' everyday needs."That's a staggering statistic when you think that less than two million people defend over 300 million people,"
"So naturally there's going to be a massive part of the population that's going to have no clue as to what military service is about and what the families go through... The military serves in war, and you go to the mall."
Hundreds of non-governmental agencies provide various veterans services and all can use contributions of time, money or goods.I advocates for compulsory military or Peace Corps service for young people as a means of raising awareness of veterans' contributions."If you do that, in less than 10 years, you've created a whole generation of Americans who've had a shared experience of contributing to this country,"
While it is acknowledges the approach might be radical, the result would be a greater understanding of the sacrifices made by service members and their families. But it doesn't have to be so extreme. Just thinking about making a gesture of thanks is a good first step,
Many of the volunteers are themselves veterans, and have suffered the kind of injuries and trauma that ends up putting so many vets in tough situations. They're not just friends; they're familys.I am the founder and I myself am a testomonal to this truth I am a veteran and PTSD survivor and am willing to share the education I have aquired with the world
So here's a chance to get them the cash they need to build there survival packs we are providing as many of the services mentioned but we need your help to keep ASAP doing this good work we have been led to do for our community and are veterans
Each vet that the group works with takes an average of $600. So a $2,000 contribution would be enough to give three homeless vets a home before winter sets in, and maybe pay a few heating bills on the side. Veterans project has also started working with other groups to get service dogs—which the VA prescribes but doesn't provide—to the vets who need them. As it turns out, $2,000 would be just enough to provide one of those dogs to a vet who really needs the help.
You are not going to find anything better than that when it comes to making an investment in Doing Good.
A little about us...VETERANS PROJECT
We run this non-sectarian, non-partisan organization to ignite discussion on our world and in our communities, to educate our world about the injustice of aggressive violence.
We believe that in order to reach out to our peers most effectively, we cannot stand on religious arguments alone, and we cannot adhere entirely to one political side in our currently polarized culture. We believe that the consistent life ethic is not for any one religious group or for any one political position, but rather for everyone dedicated to human rights, life and dignity.
No matter your reason for believing in the inherent value of human life, we hope you can join us, and through our efforts we can together endeavor to make violence unthinkable -
-
- to make it history!
YOU CAN BE A PARTNER
FOR PEACE
AND ALL LIFE
Our goal is for you to look great, feel like you're on top of the world, and be fabulous. In my career as a soldier an citizens I have spent years training and teaching young men and women to be the best they can be for themselves and and their families, we promise to never stop learning and to do Our absolute best and put our right foot forward, Our job is never done and there is always a higher goal We can achieve. We Love every aspect in helping Our fellow veterans Improve their lives and We our so thrilled and excited for our future with learning and passing on our own techniques.
We believe that to meet the challenges of our times, human beings will have to develop a greater sense of universal responsibility. Each of us must learn to work not just for one self, one's own family or one's nation, but for the benefit of all humankind. Universal responsibility is the key to human survival. It is the best foundation for world peace.
“We have for many years lived with the knowledge that we, the masses, the working class, the poor, the white, the black, the brown, the immigrants, the Christians, the Muslims, the atheists, the soldiers/ex-soldiers, the peaceniks, the communists, the anarchists, the students, the people, across the spectrum, we all have a common cause”
We have served in many nations my friends with a uniform and with out one, we the free have many colors none of which go by a uniform when a man or a women decides to stand in defiance of tyranny and injustice.every thing you have ever been taught about the human race you have to forget every thing, and use your heart to see the world has one human family with no boundaries or color just human beings who need a hand of gently kindness and understanding with out any judgment only compassion and love to heals their wounds
Please forward this to as many of your contacts that you can and ask them to support this cause and to forward it to their contacts as well.
Thanks for your support if you would like to make a donation please do so by sending or going to your closest Chase bank
People who believe in the sanctity of life We have come to see that Government Alone Can't Take Care Of Our Veterans
"One organization or one government can't support the entire veteran population in the way that they need — not after over a dozen years of war with thousands of military families sacrificing,"
"But if more people pull together and take a more active approach, we'll get a lot more done."
"We have to change our thinking,"
"We can't expect our government to be the whole part and parcel of being the caretaker of men and women in the military."
Supporting the troops is not a political position, but a community responsibility. It comes down to awareness. Because less than one percent of the American population serves in the military, the majority of the country isn't attuned to veterans' everyday needs."That's a staggering statistic when you think that less than two million people defend over 300 million people,"
"So naturally there's going to be a massive part of the population that's going to have no clue as to what military service is about and what the families go through... The military serves in war, and you go to the mall."
Hundreds of non-governmental agencies provide various veterans services and all can use contributions of time, money or goods.I advocates for compulsory military or Peace Corps service for young people as a means of raising awareness of veterans' contributions."If you do that, in less than 10 years, you've created a whole generation of Americans who've had a shared experience of contributing to this country,"
While it is acknowledges the approach might be radical, the result would be a greater understanding of the sacrifices made by service members and their families. But it doesn't have to be so extreme. Just thinking about making a gesture of thanks is a good first step,
Many of the volunteers are themselves veterans, and have suffered the kind of injuries and trauma that ends up putting so many vets in tough situations. They're not just friends; they're familys.I am the founder and I myself am a testomonal to this truth I am a veteran and PTSD survivor and am willing to share the education I have aquired with the world
So here's a chance to get them the cash they need to build there survival packs we are providing as many of the services mentioned but we need your help to keep ASAP doing this good work we have been led to do for our community and are veterans
Each vet that the group works with takes an average of $600. So a $2,000 contribution would be enough to give three homeless vets a home before winter sets in, and maybe pay a few heating bills on the side. Veterans project has also started working with other groups to get service dogs—which the VA prescribes but doesn't provide—to the vets who need them. As it turns out, $2,000 would be just enough to provide one of those dogs to a vet who really needs the help.
You are not going to find anything better than that when it comes to making an investment in Doing Good.
A little about us...VETERANS PROJECT
We run this non-sectarian, non-partisan organization to ignite discussion on our world and in our communities, to educate our world about the injustice of aggressive violence.
We believe that in order to reach out to our peers most effectively, we cannot stand on religious arguments alone, and we cannot adhere entirely to one political side in our currently polarized culture. We believe that the consistent life ethic is not for any one religious group or for any one political position, but rather for everyone dedicated to human rights, life and dignity.
No matter your reason for believing in the inherent value of human life, we hope you can join us, and through our efforts we can together endeavor to make violence unthinkable -
-
- to make it history!
YOU CAN BE A PARTNER
FOR PEACE
AND ALL LIFE
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