Enduring homelessness during the age of COVID became significantly more difficult. Due to social distancing guidelines, shelters haven't been able to accept as many guests as they had previously. This, compounded with inclement weather, led to the creation of temporary shelters. City Walk Church of Tallahassee, Florida, answered the call and became one of those shelters. In recent days, it's been pressured to shut its doors by the City of Tallahassee Board of Commissioners, neighboring businesses, and disgruntled residents. City Walk has been denied the necessary permit to stay open and has officially been served papers by the city to cease operations by Saturday, March 27th. If they don't, they'll be fined $250 a day. This means they will have to kick their 64 guests to the curb, many of whom are elderly and disabled. This petition is for them.

Jesus told Christians that if they are genuinely his followers, they must give shelter to the homeless. The issue here is more than an economic or moral one; it's spiritual. Simply put, Christians are being told to disobey God by a local government. Sign this petition for the religious freedom (that is protected under the constitution) to practice compassion. If we don't, we are giving license for the government to dictate whether or not Christians can practice their faith.

We believe that housing is a human right. Sign this petition and tell the City of Tallahassee Board of Commissioners, Mayor John Dailey, and Deputy City Manager, Reese Goad, that City Walk should remain open, be given a permit to operate as a transitional shelter, and that compassion shouldn't be a crime.