Pastors Call for ‘Creative’ Solutions to Homelessness : Clergy: ‘Laws and jails’ not answer, they say. Santa Ana officials asked to work with religious leaders as numbers, problems grow.

SANTA ANA —  Pointing to previous failed efforts, pastors of six churches in the downtown area are calling on city officials to work with them in finding “creative, caring solutions” to the homeless issue, the ministers said Wednesday.

In a letter being signed by the clergy this week, the downtown ministers say they empathize with the City Council’s dilemma in dealing with the increasing homeless population and with the lack of cooperation from other Orange County cities to jointly handle the issue.

But they are also urging Santa Ana officials not to enact an anti-camping ordinance that was being considered to coincide with the installation of temporary jail cells, as a way to control the problem.

“Laws and jails alone will not solve this problem,” the ministers stated in the letter. The ministers offered to convene a meeting of officials from Orange County cities, citizens’ groups, churches and the homeless to discuss the issue.

“I look forward to reviewing their proposal,” City Manager David N. Ream said.

Referring to the anti-camping ordinance, Ream added: “Like many other cities in Orange and Los Angeles counties, it is something we are aware of and we have studied, but we do not plan on moving forward at this time.”

The city’s attempts in recent years to control the homeless population in the Civic Center included “sweeps,” such as arresting the homeless for minor offenses or confiscating their bedrolls and other possessions and throwing them away. But those actions resulted in the city paying about $500,000 to settle lawsuits brought by the homeless.

Last week, in the first of such cases taken to a jury trial, the city was ordered to pay $9,300 to a homeless man who claimed his possessions were taken and thrown away by maintenance workers.

Three of the pastors who were interviewed characterized the letter to the city as an attempt to look for ways to carry out their mission--which includes caring for the homeless--while also improving their relationship with city officials who face pressure from neighborhood associations to solve the problem.

“We don’t want to fight with them,” said the Rev. Brad Karelius of the Episcopal Church of the Messiah. “We want to win this together and deal creatively with the problem.”

The letter lauds the city’s efforts to turn the old YMCA into a single-room-occupancy hotel for low-income people and urges officials to look at programs offered for the homeless in San Jose and other cities.

“There are other cities that have wrestled with the same problem and come up with solutions,” said the Rev. Mark Schipul of the First Baptist Church. “They have addressed the issue in wholesome ways that have borne fruit.”

Dr. Kenneth Heaton of the First United Methodist Church was less optimistic that the city would agree to work with them, but said the ministers needed to be involved.

“If we don’t speak up for the homeless, who is going to?” Heaton said.

The Rev. Mike Pulsifer of the First Presbyterian Church of Santa Ana, who has acted as a spokesman for the group of ministers, said he preferred not to comment on their ongoing efforts because he did not want city officials to think they were using the news media to create public pressure.