Church Gives Up Parking To Help Homeless
Businessman's Ultimatum To Church: Parking Or Helping Homeless
Updated: 12:44 pm CDT March 10, 2008
MADISON, Wis. -- The issue of homelessness in downtown Madison is pitting a longtime businessman against Madison's first church.
VIDEO: Watch The ReportFor nearly 20 years, Sunday service at First United Methodist Church in downtown Madison has included parking. But that will soon change because the church opened doors to the homeless."As a church, our job is to feed the hungry, give comfort to the people that are out in the cold, that's what we do," said church member Bill White.The church serves as a second overflow shelter downtown, housing about 20 men each night during the winter.Now, a local businessman is giving the church an ultimatum."I got the call initially and I was shocked," said White.Businessman Fred Mohs called the church to warn members that they will no longer be able to use his Manchester parking garage if the church continues to give shelter to the homeless.White said he was the person who originally worked out the deal with Mohs for congregation members to park in the ramp, which was 18 years ago."I didn't understand what the relationship between parking on Sunday mornings and overflow men's shelter," Mohs said. "It's my way of making a point."Mohs said overflow shelters are destroying downtown Madison's vitality."The fundamental problem is the homeless are bad neighbors as a group," he said.Church members voted to keep providing shelter and forgo the free parking, WISC-TV reported."The church handled it pretty well. I think it was kind of a no-brainer that that's the mission of the church," said White. "We'll continue to come to church regardless of where we park. We're very grateful for the time we have been able to use the ramp. We're going to be walking farther from now on."Both sides in this issue said they care about homelessness in Madison but have very different solutions."I would love to give them back the parking," said Mohs.When asked what the church would have to do, he said, "Close the shelter."The parking will end on April 1.First United Methodist Church has a congregation task force working toward expanding the help that the church provides to the homeless, including a job-placement program and helping them find permanent homes.Church officials said that they have been fielding many calls from downtown businesses offering free parking space for churchgoers on Sunday.
VIDEO: Watch The ReportFor nearly 20 years, Sunday service at First United Methodist Church in downtown Madison has included parking. But that will soon change because the church opened doors to the homeless."As a church, our job is to feed the hungry, give comfort to the people that are out in the cold, that's what we do," said church member Bill White.The church serves as a second overflow shelter downtown, housing about 20 men each night during the winter.Now, a local businessman is giving the church an ultimatum."I got the call initially and I was shocked," said White.Businessman Fred Mohs called the church to warn members that they will no longer be able to use his Manchester parking garage if the church continues to give shelter to the homeless.White said he was the person who originally worked out the deal with Mohs for congregation members to park in the ramp, which was 18 years ago."I didn't understand what the relationship between parking on Sunday mornings and overflow men's shelter," Mohs said. "It's my way of making a point."Mohs said overflow shelters are destroying downtown Madison's vitality."The fundamental problem is the homeless are bad neighbors as a group," he said.Church members voted to keep providing shelter and forgo the free parking, WISC-TV reported."The church handled it pretty well. I think it was kind of a no-brainer that that's the mission of the church," said White. "We'll continue to come to church regardless of where we park. We're very grateful for the time we have been able to use the ramp. We're going to be walking farther from now on."Both sides in this issue said they care about homelessness in Madison but have very different solutions."I would love to give them back the parking," said Mohs.When asked what the church would have to do, he said, "Close the shelter."The parking will end on April 1.First United Methodist Church has a congregation task force working toward expanding the help that the church provides to the homeless, including a job-placement program and helping them find permanent homes.Church officials said that they have been fielding many calls from downtown businesses offering free parking space for churchgoers on Sunday.Copyright 2008 by Channel 3000. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
