Pastor defends his 24-hour church to help the homeless
An Ohio pastor, Chris Avell, has been arraigned on 18 charges of violating zoning laws related to keeping his church open 24 hours a day to house the homeless.
Avell has pleaded not guilty and his attorney hopes the charges will be dropped. The city of Bryan filed the charges after receiving a complaint about people living in the church.
Under local zoning codes, buildings zoned as central businesses are prohibited from allowing people to eat, wash their clothes or sleep on the property.
Avell says his church is not a homeless shelter, but offers services such as showers and laundry facilities. He decided to keep his church open permanently due to a lack of space at the local homeless shelter.
The operations director of the Williams County homeless shelter supports Avell’s actions. Another hearing is planned in the coming months. A fundraiser was organized to support the church.
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