Homelessness in Palm Beach County is a serious problem and efforts to cope with it are far less than is needed. Estimates of the number of homeless persons range from 3,000 to 16,000 and there are approximately 1200 beds for homeless people in the County. An educated guess is that there are 10,000 homeless people of whom 5,000 are homeless single men, 1,000 are homeless single women, 4,000 are people who are part of a homeless family, and 2,000 (of the 4,000) are children. We don't see the children or families because if it is known that children are homeless state agencies are likely to take the children away from the family. Our perception of the homeless is shaped by people at streetcorners asking for money and by newspaper stories which frighten us about crime and other offensiveness downtown. Sometimes we hear of young people beating or murdering homeless people for fun. All this is beyond the comprehension of the average citizen; most of us simply can't relate to it. We have come to think of it as horrible but normal. But, it isn't normal. Massive homelessness began in our generation around 1980 due to changes in public policy and due to costs of housing escalating far more rapidly than household income. We haven't yet learned how to deal with it and many innocent people (children) are being badly hurt by it. Some articulate and knowledgeable citizens of Palm Beach County say that our public policy is to pretend that homelessness isn't a serious problem and to shoo it away as best we can.

There is only one place in Palm Beach County where nobody is turned away, where anybody can be safe and fed, and that place is Westgate Tabernacle in West Palm Beach. Westgate Tabernacle does not have support from the government and does not have a dependable private funding base either. It is in a crime ridden neighborhood and in recent years has been harrassed, not helped, by Palm Beach County authorities. Other agencies who support the homeless are very respectful of Westgate Tabernacle and of providing emergency funding from whatever sources can be found. This view was articulated by Lela Jordan, Executive Director of Vicker's House and the person who Mayor Lois Frankel depends on to shape West Palm Beach action and policy recommendations for the homeless.

Pastor Avis Hill and Elder Alan Clapsaddle of Westgate Tabernacle say they are called by their faith to minister to those in need and that they do it in lawful ways.

The following newspaper stories are available.
date: 10/29/06 ; author: Lester J Davis ; publication: PBP ; title: Church trying to be rock put in hard place ; subject: Westgate Tabernacle.
date: 10/19/06 ; author: Sonja Isger ; publication: PBP ; title: Westgate rejects homeless limits ; subject: Westgate Tabernacle.
date: 9/ 5/06 ; author: Howard Goodman ; publication: SS ; title: Flora Belle Haidt ; copyright: SS ; subject: Westgate Tabernacle.
date: 8/18/06 ; author: Kevin Deutsch ; publication: PBP ; title: Church helps homeless fulfill college dreams ; copyright: PBP ; subject: Westgate Tabernacle.
date: 8/10/06 ; author: Andrew Marra ; publication: PBP ; title: West Palm weighs caring for homeless vs. controlling vagrants ; copyright: PBP ; subject: WPB.
date: 7/22/06 ; author: Andrew Marra ; publication: PBP ; title: Homeless' preference for the streets stymies city ; subject: WPB.
date: 7/21/06 ; author: Tonya Alanez ; publication: SS ; title: Teen denied bail in fatal beating case ; subject: Crime Against Homeless.
date: 7/18/06 ; author: Catriona Stuart ; publication: PBP ; title: Bob Sawyer ; subject: Westgate Tabernacle.
date: 2/ 4/06 ; author: Sonja Isger ; publication: PBP ; title: Homeless Shelter Pits Church vs. County ; subject: Westgate Tabernacle.