Columbia Council weighs future of homeless shelter as pastor prepares to retire

Columbia Presbyterian Church 

[Columbia Spy photo]

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

Columbia Borough has no zoning that explicitly permits a homeless shelter, and with the pastor who runs the town's only one set to retire at year's end, council members warned Tuesday that the arrangement sheltering people at Columbia Presbyterian Church may not survive.

The issue came up at the October 6 Borough Council workshop. The shelter operates at the church at 4th and Locust streets, and Councilwoman Jeanne Cooper said it can do so only because sheltering is treated as part of the church's use. Cooper added that the shelter currently has a waiting list of 14 people.

"We need to find a place for homeless people to go and there's no zoning in town for homeless people," Cooper said. That could change if the building stops operating as a church.

Pastor David Powers retires at the end of the year and does not expect the congregation to hire a replacement, according to Councilwoman Joanne Geesey. Powers has said the ministry would continue as the "Dream Center" on the property, Geesey said. 

Geesey: "So you're saying if the church does not continue to operate, this can't have a dream center. Is that what you're saying?"

Council members said that plan may not be legal. "So you're saying if the church does not continue to operate, this can't have a dream center. Is that what you're saying?" Geesey asked. "Absolutely," Council President Eric Kauffman replied.

Geesey said the pastor believes the Dream Center can simply keep running out of the church building. She said he has not spoken with zoning officials and likely does not know the rules would change once the property is no longer a church. Council said it had discussed the issue with him some time ago, and that clarifying it would be on the agenda for the upcoming meeting.

Cooper noted that Justin Eby (Executive Director for the Lancaster County Housing and Redevelopment Authorities) suggested the borough should not spend money on a shelter without the proper zoning in place. She said an offer was made on the former Catholic War Vets building on North 7th Street, but the sellers wanted more than what was offered.

Council also discussed whether a rooming house might fit the need but found that such a use is not listed in the zoning code. 

The discussion grew heated over whether services draw people from outside the borough. Kauffman said Columbia residents are generous toward their neighbors, but that taking advantage of that generosity by bringing in people from other cities draws on funds meant for "Columbia people."

Frederick: "It's just by the goodness and the grace of God that each and every one of us are not homeless ourselves."

Resident Scott Frederick pushed back, saying homelessness is not a choice for almost anyone in that population. He noted that his brother had stayed at a shelter and that it is hard to get in. He urged council not to speak of homeless people "like they're a problem."

Frederick said "homeless is homeless" and that he did not believe anyone is being shipped in to benefit from homelessness. "It's just by the goodness and the grace of God that each and every one of us are not homeless ourselves," Frederick said.

A meeting to search for solutions is scheduled for Tuesday, October 27, at 1:30 p.m. at borough hall. Cooper invited anyone interested.