Judge Rules In Favor Of Church

(ConservativeInsider.org) – A church in Castle Rock, Colorado has been in a legal battle against their town since May over whether their program that offers temporary shelter to homeless people, thus cleaning up the streets, is a violation of local zoning codes and a danger to the community. In mid-July, a federal judge ruled that the church may continue their shelter program while the suit is ongoing.

The Church of the Rock has provided a space for people to live in a trailer or RV that is parked on their property since 2018. However, people who live near the church have argued that what the church is doing is akin to a homeless shelter, which puts the safety of neighbors at risk. One such neighbor, Tim DeVries, asked who wanted a “homeless camp” near your neighborhood and asked where the church’s respect for zoning laws was.

The church received a letter from the town in September 2022, stating that allowing RVs on church grounds for residential or storage purposes was not allowed under local zoning laws. After the town started taking action against Church of the Rock, the church temporarily halted its program in late 2023.

The church pushed back and requested an injunction that would allow them to continue using their temporary shelters, as they said allowing them to provide shelter to homeless people was crucial to their religious ministry. On July 19th, U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Domenico sided with the church and granted their injunction, suggesting that the enforcement of the town’s zoning laws is a potential violation of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), which was passed by Congress in 2000 and allows religious institutions to do things that would otherwise be prohibited by local zoning laws if it is for religious purposes.

Though Judge Domenico found “no evidence” that the church couldn’t house individuals within their church building, he gave them the injunction while their case is ongoing, suggesting that their suit had a “strong likelihood of success.”