A lawyer representing some residents who live close to Grace St. Paul's Episcopal Church says he's planning to sue the church for the way it's handling its ministries to serve the unhoused and other indigent residents on the congregation's property.
Each Monday, Wednesday and Friday, volunteers with the congregation operate a pantry, cafeteria, showers, and other services on its property in the Blenman-Elm neighborhood northeast of the University of Arizona.
But some of the church's guests have littered in the area, defecated in the community, set fires, and caused other concerns for residents.
"The problem is, the evidence has shown that the way that GSP [Grace St. Paul's] is trying to do it, is not good for our neighbors or for their clients. This situation is getting out of control," says attorney Alex Winkelman.
The neighbors hired him after months of discussions about this topic.
"One of the things that I want to make sure that people hear is that none of my clients are opposed to services that assist the unhoused. You know, I've interviewed psychiatrists who work with vulnerable populations," Winkelman says.
"We've got doctors, we've got professors, we've got teachers. We have people who are deeply committed to solving this problem," he adds.
"The issue in this case is that the church is not doing its services in a way that actually helps its clients, or takes into account the problems that it's causing for the neighborhood."
Winkelman says opponents of the current location have suggested that church explore other options such as going to a park or teaming up with other groups.
"I think there are lots of organizations in town that meet people where they are to provide outreach services," Winkelman says.
"And there's a professional way to do this. You know, GSP [Grace St. Paul's] doesn't have any licensed social workers on staff that I'm aware of, and they're not providing industry standard care for these people."
When asked about a pending lawsuit after we spoke to Winkelman, the church sent the following as part of a longer reply:
“Ending our 25-year ministry to the poor would be incompatible with Jesus' call to serve the poor and stand with the vulnerable. But as we have always done, we will, of course, continue working with the neighborhood association and neighbors to minimize local disruption.” The Rev. Steve Keplinger Grace St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (he, him) Earth Justice - Migrant Justice - Social Justice
Read our previous story with the church.
