DOJ Sues Georgia City for Trying to Shut Down Christian Homeless Ministry

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The United States Department of Justice has filed suit against the city of Brunswick in Georgia for wrongfully trying to shut down a Christian charity that has served the homeless since 2014, the Christian Post reports.

Known as The Well, the charity is run by FaithWorks, an organization affiliated with the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church. The charity provides showers, meals, and shelter from harsh weather, to the local homeless population.

The case arose in April 2023, after Brunswick officials ordered The Well to be temporarily closed on the grounds that those using the shelter were committing violent acts and causing a disruption, CP reports. However, after The Well implemented various measures, including security protocols, to address the city’s concerns, Brunswick filed a “nuisance complaint” in July 2023 and sought to close the shelter permanently.

The DOJ filed suit in the US District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, Brunswick Division on Monday. “Through its campaign to shut down The Well, including a mandatory closure order and a nuisance lawsuit, Brunswick imposed a substantial burden on the religious exercise of FaithWorks, and of The Well’s staff and leadership, without a compelling interest and without using the least restrictive means of achieving that interest, in violation of RLUIPA,” the DOJ suit reads.

“Operating The Well is an expression of faith that is substantially burdened by the City’s efforts to permanently close The Well. FaithWorks, which runs The Well, is an extension of the Methodist Church, and providing basic services to the poor and unhoused individuals are cornerstones of FaithWorks’ religious practice,” the DOJ says.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the DOJ Civil Rights Division said in a statement onTuesday that The Well is entitled to operate as a Christian ministry in Brunswick. “Federal law protects the right of religious groups such as The Well to use their land to help others,” Clarke said. “The division will continue to vindicate the rights of groups to exercise their religion and fight local land use laws that unlawfully restrict those rights.”

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