Churches urged to do more for area homeless

By: SHANNA McCORD - Staff Writer | Sunday, November 16, 2003 10:19 PM PST ∞

OCEANSIDE ---- Less than two years ago, Andrea Bearden-Kuhns, founder of Bread of Life Rescue Mission, sent letters to 140 North County churches pleading for help in the effort to provide shelters for thousands of the area's homeless people.

The letter, written in February 2002, relates how "a place where the homeless can find immediate, safe shelter year-round is sadly missing."

Bearden-Kuhns says she received no response and remains frustrated by the continued lack of church support.

The trials of the homeless, she said last week, could be improved if more churches signed on to offer a place for the needy to sleep or contributed to the workload of other shelters.

"I want to see the churches step forward and live out God's purpose in their life," she said.

In Oceanside there are three churches providing overnight winter shelter to the homeless: Grace Chapel of the Coast, Living Hope Calvary Chapel and Bread of Life.

"I'm sure there's got to be more than three churches in Oceanside that can do this," Bearden-Kuhns said.

Like last winter, Grace and Living Hope will each be open to the homeless one night a week beginning in December.

Living Hope's shelter on Seagaze Drive is scheduled to open on the first Thursday in December, said Don Wheeler, assistant pastor. Grace plans to start at the Crest Theater on Freeman Street on Dec. 19, volunteer Jose Gutierrez said.

Bread of Life, which provided shelter five nights a week last winter, has been forced to cut back to two nights this year because of a shortage in manpower and resources, Bearden-Kuhns said.

"We want not only to appeal to the churches, but I want to challenge them," she said. "This is God's work."

Traffic at homeless shelters is expected to be heavier this season because the recent wildfires stranded many without a place to go. A lack of financial support also shuttered the 100-bed Green Oaks Ranch in Vista last April.

"We anticipate to be at full capacity of 50," Wheeler said.

Far from easy

Many churches don't reach out to the homeless for a multitude of factors.

The requirements are extensive. Restrooms, storage, security, supplies such as blankets and mats and washing machines are must-haves.

"It's not easy. There's a lot to it," Bearden-Kuhns said. "It's a leap of faith."

Many are small congregations that don't have the space or willing volunteers. Others use their facilities for charity events and programs. First Baptist Church in Oceanside uses its parish hall to host ethnic ministries.

"We have Filipino, Spanish and Chinese ministries taking place here," First Baptist administrator Scott Hites said. "It's a matter of space."

A lot of churches don't have the budgets to undertake the establishment of an overnight shelter, which can easily cost more than $100,000 for four months.

Most daunting is the price of insurance to run such an operation, shelter workers said.

Bread of Life pays an annual insurance premium of $12,000 to run its overnight shelter. Previously it was $1,800, Bearden-Kuhns said.

"Step one is to call your insurance company," she said. "Are we covered? What's the potential for problems?

"Not all churches can do it."

Tim Poldrugo, pastor at Oceanside Community Church, said his 80-member congregation of mostly seniors is much too small and the costs are out of reach.

"The insurance costs are just astronomical," Poldrugo said. "There's no way we could afford something like that."

Oceanside officials, in an attempt to encourage more churches to open their doors to the homeless, approved an ordinance in August that increases the nightly minimum at shelters to 50 people.

Poldrugo said that doesn't alleviate other obstacles.

"We're very concerned about the problems of the homeless. Unfortunately, we just don't have an answer," he said. "While we'd like the answer to be an answer of the heart, it ends up being an answer of the pocketbook."

Shelter workers agree that the need is great as there are an estimated 5,000 people homeless in North County, spanning from Encinitas to Fallbrook. Every winter the problem becomes more pronounced when people are seen wandering around town and sleeping in parks and under bridges, often in the rain and freezing temperatures.

"The bottom line is we do not have enough shelters for homeless people," Grace's Gutierrez said. "We can't make the problem go away. It's already here. We have to do something about it."

New Song Community Church in Oceanside, with about 1,000 parishioners, does not have showers, and the attached school prohibits the church from inviting the homeless to stay the night.

Nevertheless, "our group has a huge heart for the homeless," said Jim Britts, New Song's pastor.

New Song consistently donates food and clothing to Brother Benno's in Oceanside and devotes time to the children at North County Solutions for Change in Vista.

Chris Megison, who started North County Solutions for Change, a regional shelter that caters to families, said it doesn't make sense to only focus on the homeless during winter.

"The emergency winter shelter is more designed as a Band-Aid," Megison said. "We need something year-round and comprehensive."

Contact staff writer Shanna McCord at (760) 631-6621 or smccord@nctimes.com.

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