Congregation OKs Building Shelter

The public stance to help homeless people taken by the Rev. Wiley S. Drake was supported Sunday by his parishioners.

The congregation of the First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park voted 61 to 4 to build a homeless shelter on the church property, Drake said.

“The vote was overwhelming,” Drake said. “There have been some of us who have had some reservations . . . but when you have a ministry to the poor and homeless, this is the cost of doing business.”

The vote was the latest episode in an ongoing feud between the minister and the city over an encampment of about 30 homeless people on the church grounds.

The City Council last week gave Drake two weeks to find an architect and start construction on a shelter or face criminal charges.

Drake said more than 75 architects or architectural agencies have offered help. He said he has a meeting with a Riverside company on Wednesday.

Drake said the church has room for a shelter ranging from 5,000 to 8,000 square feet. He said he is hoping for donations of work or money to help with the cost.