Pastor ‘Ecstatic’ After Winning Long-Fought Homeless Shelter OK

After six months of tension with city officials, a church was granted a conditional use permit for a homeless shelter it plans to build on its property.

Bible-toting supporters and homeless people living at the First Southern Baptist Church packed the council chamber Wednesday evening in a show of support for the cause and its leader, the Rev. Wiley Drake.

Drake said he was “ecstatic” about the decision.

“I know we’ve had our differences in the past, but we’re appreciative of the cooperation we have received from the city,” he said. “We will continue to cooperate and comply with the city’s wishes.”

In December, the Planning Commission revoked a year-old conditional use permit because construction of the shelter--and money to fund the project--had come to a halt. The commission again denied a renewal of the permit in March, saying the church had failed to correct city code violations.

Over the last two months the commission has given Drake and the church more time to correct violations. Among the corrections were storing exposed construction materials and removing inoperable cars and trailers.

“It’s really disappointing that it had to take this much time to get this done,” said Commissioner John Muller. “I’m all for this building to go forward, but what it comes down to is the church must abide by some safety rules.”

“This has been an incredibly exasperating deal for all of us,” said Chairman Rich Felling. “A month ago I was against the proposal. But I think our relationship with the church is better now, and with the progress I see today I’m ready to vote in favor of renewing the permit.”

Commission members met with Drake last week to judge the condition of the building site. First Baptist agreed to dispose of several of the vehicles and build a movable screen to keep the other vehicles out of view from the street.

Many Buena Park residents support Drake’s plan to build the 52,000-square-foot multipurpose shelter on the church’s property, mostly because they believe a shelter at the church would be the best chance for the homeless to make changes in their lives.

“I just feel that the commission needed to let Drake do what he had to do,” said Florence Scott, a 42-year Buena Park resident. “They’ve got to have a place. . . . They’ve got to have somewhere to go, and what better place than a church?”

“This was a fight that God intervened in. [Commissioners] said they looked at the progress we made and changed their minds, but I believe it was God who changed their minds.”

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Andre Briscoe can be reached at (714) 966-5848