We are private citizens on private land, spending private money to take care of
those most in need.
The Homeless Charity and Village is this really interesting innovative community
that is by the homeless and for the homeless.
It is a place where people that have been forgotten, people that are considered
invisible are now with peers that care about them and work together to move
back into society. It is a new way of doing homeless services.
My name is Sage Lewis, I'm the executive director of The Homeless Charity and Village and we are
located in Akron, Ohio.
Since ancient times, people have used their own land to
shelter the neediest members of society, this is a legitimate invaluable use of
private property that the government cannot impede without a very good reason.
The Homeless Charity and Village started as a small group of people that were
kicked off of public land and so they had nowhere to go in January, and a few
people came here and asked to spend the night. One thing led to another
someone put one tent up and then another tent and another tent and today we have
over 40 tents.
In addition to the tents, there's a community day center that
provides food, showers, clothing, laundry and computers. Residents elect leadership
which create and enforce a code of conduct that governs daily life,
no alcohol, no drugs, no violence. These and other rules ensure that it is a positive
place where residents can overcome their obstacles and get back on their feet.
The mayor, the city council, they are not comfortable with what we're doing here.
In the spring of 2018, the city of Akron asked Sage to apply for a conditional
use permit to bring his land into compliance with the zoning code,
because Sage's property is zoned commercial people cannot sleep there unless there's
a conditional use permit.
These people aren't going to magically go home, it's not like they're glamping in my back yard.
They're going to go to tents in worse conditions.
So Sage applied, but the city denied it, the city now expects the tents to be
gone by Thanksgiving, potentially putting people out on the streets right before winter.
We have the right to be on the side of justice and so we are compelling
them to do the right thing. We have a 21 person waiting list to move into tents.
That being said, this is not where we end we don't just call it quits on tents,
this is just phase one of multiple phases, so we can envision moving people
into houses, and moving in people into buildings.
Akron's zoning power does not eclipse Sage's right to rescue desperate people from the streets.
Importantly, we are not asking for a general rule that would allow anyone to shelter the
homeless in tents anywhere like a typical residential neighborhood,
rather the location and particular nature of this commercial property making an
appropriate place for the homeless charity to do its work.
Soon as I got here I said I felt safe. I dread to think where I'd be if it wasn't for this place.
We together with the Institute for Justice, are making this an important
issue for the city of Akron, you're doing the work that needs to be done today
and having The Institute for Justice here at The Homeless Charity makes this an
incredibly rare, unique, special opportunity.
So the thing I want to impress on the council, is that this isn't just a matter of zoning policy,
this decision has serious constitutional implications. We are first a nation of liberty,
and that liberty should be respected.
Sage and The Homeless Charity are providing a low-cost private-sector response to the problem of homelessness
using private land and private money, something government should encourage.
The Ohio Constitution has among the strongest property protections in the nation,
and we are going to court to vindicate these rights.