The Promise Church: Riverside, CA

The Press-Enterprise wrote an article on the debate between enabling the homeless through short-term aid, and empowering them to find long-term solutions.  Volunteers from Cal Baptist University and at least one local church seem to be at odds with the city on this issue. 

10:00 PM PST on Thursday, January 22, 2009
By LAURIE LUCAS
The Press-Enterprise

To Riverside city officials, they're "enablers."

To Riverside County officials, their cause is "misdirected energy."

But to a group of volunteers, feeding the homeless is a calling.

What started as a father-daughter team 2 ½ years ago with three pizzas and five takers has led to a ministry led by Jim Ward through The Vision Plus Church on Pyrite Street.

Its newest acolytes are 10 students from California Baptist University who believe they're serving Jesus by serving food to at least 35 homeless people every Thursday in Fairmount Park.

Her hands sheathed in plastic gloves as she dishes out salad to 65 homeless people, Hannah Barrett, 20, justifies her mission through chapter and verse in Matthew: " ... for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me. ..."

City officials, however, don't approve of the feedings, although "It's not against the law," said Don Smith, Riverside's project manager for the housing and neighborhood division.

The goal is to encourage faith-based groups to work with city programs and "drive-by feedings don't really help meet that objective," Smith said.

And the manager of the county's homeless unit, Ronald Stewart, said he would prefer do-gooders channel their energy into existing shelter programs.

Daryl E. Brock, executive director of the private, nonprofit Second Harvest Food Bank Serving Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, said that he understands both sides.

"It might be considered 'enabling' the homeless, but the faith-based community is not looking for solutions," Brock said. "And it may be building relationships with a one-on-one approach."

SUBHEAD

Ward, 61, is a recovering drug addict and former outlaw biker. He is 6 feet, 6 inches tall with a flowing white mane and answers to "Big Jim."

He said he applauds city and county homeless services, "But I fight for my right to be here and I'm not going to stop."

At the city's request, Brock and his volunteers relocated a year ago from the park's playground to a less populated site by the gazebo.

"I'm not an activist," said Ward, who is a housepainter earning $400 a week. His church doesn't sponsor the ministry, so he spends $100 on food for his street people. "We let them know God loves them. We hug them, let them know we care about them."

Smith describes this as a "Band-Aid, approach" that simply "enables" the homeless to "comfortably survive" without ending the problem. In contrast, in the past five years city and county outreach teams have been working to develop strong relationships with the homeless to remove them from the streets and into stable housing.

"We encourage community partners and faith-based organizations to engage in solutions," Smith said. "The vast majority of homeless want to move forward."

Similar problems have cropped up in other communities. In August, the city of Corona began citing a resident for feeding the homeless at a city park in violation of an ordinance requiring a permit. Four years ago, the leader of a Christian group pledged to defy a police order to stop feeding the homeless near downtown San Bernardino.

SUBHEAD

On a recent Thursday, Ward and his helpers set up four tables laden with chicken casserole, mixed greens, chocolate cake, juice and dog food. Ward raffles off toiletries, gloves, underwear, knit caps and other prizes, because there aren't enough to go around. One man they call "the poet" won a bicycle that belonged to Ward's wife, who died last year.

"You can see them coming through the trees," said Georgia Dakkis, 54, a freelance photographer and volunteer. One man's entire face is covered with prison tattoos. Many have dogs, mostly pit bull mixes. "We've had them come once with a possum and a raccoon," she said.

The college students arrive after classes at 4 p.m and embrace the volunteers. The group of about 100, servers and homeless, form a circle, hold hands and bow their heads. K. Galen Greenwalt, pastor of The Vision Plus Church, prays about their need to be rescued from drugs, alcohol, poverty and abusive relationships.

The homeless queue up quietly again and again until everything is gone.

Teresa and Kenneth Clark, who said they've been homeless for eight years, eat at a picnic table with their mutt, Felon.

"The volunteers seem pretty nice and food is really excellent," said Kenneth Clark, 39, as he dug into the cake.

"I like the prayer," said Teresa Clark, 29. "Seems like every time we pray me and him get closer."

After a year of feeding and even living with the homeless for 10 days, Jacob Stoutenburg, 20, a junior, said, "You get to love these people. They're some of the most giving people I ever met."

Stoutenburg's girlfriend, Brittany O'Connell, 20, a nursing student, said she comes "not to look good, not for credit, but to express Christ through my life."

Steven Harrison, 20, said he feels called to "serve and try to connect with these people. They are not trash."

At 5 p.m., Greenwalt leads a closing prayer. The volunteers clean up the garbage, fold up the tables and return them with the pots and bowls to Ward's truck.

The homeless silently disappear through the trees.