Members of the United Methodist Church in Malibu say local government officials asked them to stop serving food to the homeless — but the city has so far refused to give any reasonable explanation as to why.
A church in California has said that local government officials have asked them to stop feeding the homeless in their community. Every Wednesday, they serve meals for up to 100 homeless people in the area.
They won’t give the church a straightforward answer but rather an implied one. The church believes that the local officials believe that they are increasing the homeless population… what?
“I think many of them eat out of dumpsters and trash cans when they aren’t eating with us,” said Kay Gabbard of the United Methodist Church.
As reported by Jon Street for Red State:
“Very succinctly, they claimed we are increasing homelessness,” Dawn Randall with United Methodist Church in Malibu said the city told the church.
The city of Malibu did not respond to the KCBS-TV’s request for comment when asked why exactly these well-intentioned people of faith were asked to stop serving the less fortunate.
This is the city’s official reason for asking the church not to feed the homeless but it’s not a viable explanation at all. If feeding the homeless population only increases the number of individuals living on the streets, the local government in Malibu owes the church an explanation as to why that is the case. The claim needs to be backed up with actual data and facts, not a mere claim.
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That’s weird, right? The homeless community, however, sings their praises.
“It’s a safe place,” says Michah Johnson who is homeless, “and everyone is welcome. And the food is really good. It’s home-cooked. And there’s TLC involved.”
“The church is very helpful,” he says. “They keep my spirits up. They keep me accountable. When you’re homeless, it’s very easy to slip off and become jaded.”