Minister Braces for Fight Over Homeless

A Baptist minister charged with violating city codes by letting homeless people camp out on church property said this week he is bracing for a showdown with city officials.

Wiley S. Drake, pastor of First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park, was ordered earlier this month by the city’s Neighborhood Improvement Task Force, a group of inspectors from fire, health, police, code and other departments, to stop the outdoor camping by Aug. 6.

He asked the city to give him more time to find alternatives for the 20 to 25 homeless people who are living behind his church.

In a letter dated July 16, Lee Hitchcock, the city’s building and safety manager, said the task force would consider an extension on Aug. 6 if “substantial progress” had been made on other violations.

Drake’s attorney, Adlore Clarambeau of Anaheim, said the letters sent from the task force are ambiguous. “As an attorney, I find it difficult to determine exactly what they want him to do and the reasons for that request,” he said.

Drake said he is trying to connect the homeless people with other sources of support or to build a structure on his property that could house them, but he is not confident that he and city officials will be able to reach an agreement.

Drake said the letter is typical of his dealings with city officials.

“They don’t have enough nerve to say, ‘No, we won’t give you an extension,’ ” he said.

Homeless people said the church, which enforces strict rules against smoking and drinking, has given them a vital lifeline while they search for work and save for apartments. The church offers them food, clothes, showers, telephone and fax numbers to give prospective employers.