A citizen committee reviewing Little Rock's proposal to restrict homeless feedings in 63 city parks concluded Monday that only one organization has regularly used one public space to nourish those in need.
The Broadway Bridge Project, a coalition of roughly 20 churches and other groups, hosted supper under the bridge -- technically, city park space -- for 10 years before construction work displaced the group about two years ago, coordinator Elizabeth Dowell said.
The group, which is the latest in a string of volunteers who have fed homeless people under the bridge for decades, has not determined whether it will return to the bridge once construction is complete, Dowell said. The group is temporarily hosting its four suppers per week at From His Throne Ministries on West Markham Street.
Mayor Mark Stodola, who spoke of balancing "competing interests" of compassion for the homeless with the wants of neighbors, told the committee Monday that the looming end to the Broadway bridge reconstruction prompted introduction of the ordinance to regulate meal offerings in public gathering spaces.
City Manager Bruce Moore introduced in May a measure that would require organizations or individuals to register before feeding a group of 25 or more in a city park, pay a $25 permit fee and post a $100 refundable security deposit. The ordinance also would limit how many times a group could host feedings to three per year at each of the city's parks.
The Board of Directors postponed a vote on the ordinance at the request of City Directors Kathy Webb and Dean Kumpuris, who asked for a committee of business leaders, homeless-advocacy groups and city staff members to study the matter and report to the board July 11.
Similar proposals have occurred across the nation over the past decade, as at least 71 cities attempted to or successfully enacted restrictions on homeless feedings, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless. Most cities have taken the route under consideration in Little Rock by regulating the use of public property.
Excluding the Broadway Bridge Project, no one regularly feeds groups of homeless in city parks or other public areas, said Steve Copley, committee member and executive director of Interfaith Arkansas, who reported findings from his review of what agencies feed the homeless and where.
In an interview Monday afternoon, Moore called Copley's finding "somewhat surprising" and the timing of the ordinance "coincidental" and said the city is broadening its look at what vacant city properties could accommodate a pavilion or other covered areas for feeding the homeless.
"I felt like there have been a variety of groups or ministries that have been feeding throughout the city," Moore said.
Copley, who said organizations mostly feed the homeless at shelters or churches, said he's not sure whether or how frequently individuals offer "one-off" meals to the homeless at parks. The committee in a follow-up request asked for a map of where homeless feedings on private property are held and estimates of how many people are fed at each one.
The ordinance as drafted would apply to public space under the new Broadway bridge because it is part of Julius Breckling Riverfront Park, City Attorney Tom Carpenter said.
Carpenter said the city has considered an ordinance for a few years and moved forward with a model of similar legislation in Orlando, Fla., after watching it withstand legal challenges.
The mayor urged the committee to consider ways to locate homeless feeding spots near broader homeless-aid groups, such as the homeless day center Jericho Way, which offers case management and access to medical care and job training.
"We are inundated with phone calls about what happens after those feedings happen," Stodola said. "I've had businesses in that location tell me, 'Well, what are you going to do about this, Mr. Mayor? Somebody just came out in front of the window, dropped their pants and defecated in front of my clients that are in my business.' ...
"Those are the kind of people that need [additional] services. Frankly, it would be much better if From His Throne would take their mission to a location where services can be provided as opposed to just there, where they can't get into the Salvation Army, unless they're women. It really doesn't make a lot of sense for them to be feeding there. That's the great challenge we have with the city, is how do you try to coalesce these areas so you can maximize the opportunity for services."
The Salvation Army in Little Rock announced last year its overnight shelter would no longer be available to single men, only women and families, in an effort to stop poverty from passing from generation to generation.
When the ordinance was introduced, officials said they would build pavilions at Jericho Way, which the city partially funds, to facilitate meals for the homeless. Homeless advocates have said repeatedly that the resource center, while offering valuable services, is too far removed from downtown for people with limited travel options to easily access.
Moore said Monday that city staff members are looking at alternative locations for a pavilion.
"I think, clearly, if we were committed to investing at Jericho Way, we can find a location that is suitable to advocates and the city," Moore said. "We're looking at what people would consider viable locations."
Dowell, who said she knows of no other groups that feed the homeless in public spaces, said she picked the Broadway bridge to offer meals because that is where homeless people gather.
"I wasn't trying to dictate or say where people had to go," Dowell said.
The committee tasked four of its members with scheduling a meeting with Dowell and reporting back to the group.
"It seems to me we could probably accomplish what's trying to be accomplished if we get those folks in a room and talk with them and get an agreement with them," said committee member Gabe Holmstrom, executive director of the nonprofit Downtown Little Rock Partnership, which represents member businesses, churches and other organizations.
Dowell said she would meet with the group if asked.
"I'm willing to comply with any reasonable request or demand, but the serving of the homeless is not going to stop," Dowell said, later adding: "There's no total right or total wrong on any of this. It's just a part of modern society, and it is difficult."
Partner organizations and churches choose a night to sponsor Broadway Bridge Project's 6 p.m. suppers, which are held later in the evening than other homeless dinners, Dowell said. The coalition, which counts as many as 750 volunteers, is likely the largest homeless-feeding group in Little Rock, Dowell said. Between 80 and 120 meals are served on average nights, Dowell said.
Its future location, once the bridge construction is complete, has not been determined, Dowell said.
"No decision has been made, nor will I make that decision on my own," Dowell said. "I will definitely talk to all of the groups involved with it. ... I've got some that I know who want to go back out there. I have some who like having an indoor area. I'm not sure how they'll come down [on] it."
The committee's next meeting is 7:30 a.m. June 14 at the Willie Hinton Neighborhood Resource Center, 3805 W. 12th St.
A Section on 06/06/2017