Minister Not Giving Up On Shelter

On a sunny autumn morning, about a dozen people are sitting or milling around in the shade in front of the large, temporary modular building they sleep in each night to escape the elements.

Some are chatting with their gregarious and talkative preacher about the future of Buena Park’s only homeless shelter, at the First Southern Baptist Church.

A similar conversation could have been heard during the same time last year. The Rev. Wiley Drake hoped to have his permanent structure completed by last December but instead asked for and received an extension by the Planning Commission to have the building completed by Dec. 31 this year. Thus far, the foundation has yet to be built, and only a few concrete blocks and some other construction materials sit on the grounds of the proposed site, behind the temporary homeless shelter.

Drake admits time is short.

“But it is still not impossible for us to build this building by the end of the year,” he said.

He is relying solely on donations from the community for the construction efforts and said he already has the lumber so that the homeless volunteers can begin work on the foundation.

Drake gained notoriety in 1996 when he began letting homeless people take shelter in the church parking lot and patio. After complaints from neighbors regarding loiterers and drug addicts living there, city inspectors cited Drake for building and health code violations.

He was convicted of four misdemeanors in 1997 and ordered to complete 1,500 hours of community service. In December 1998, the homeless were moved to a 36,000-square-foot temporary shelter donated by a local businessman.

Drake will attend a regular Planning Commission meeting Wednesday with a quarterly report on the progress of construction on his permanent housing structure.

The city expects him to tear down the temporary shelter as soon as he receives an occupancy note permit for the permanent building.

Ana Cholo-Tipton can be reached at (714) 966-5890