The United States Department of Justice has reached a settlement agreement with the City of Brunswick, Georgia, over the city’s actions to close The Well ministry to homeless persons.
The Well in Brunswick, Georgia / Photo via Google Street View
The Well is a faith-based ministry operated by FaithWorks, an organization of the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church.
MinistryWatch reported that the complaint, filed last December in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, alleged that the city, through its nuisance lawsuit and mandatory closure order, imposed a substantial burden on the religious exercise of FaithWorks and violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
RLUIPA protects “the right of religious groups such as The Well to use their land to help others,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a press release.
The city had originally supported the shelter, but tensions flared after the city commission received complaints in 2023. The mayor sent a letter to The Well requesting that it “immediately close its door and cease all operations” on the grounds that there “have been multiple, violent attacks on city residents” that “all share some discernable connection with The Well.”
In September, both parties entered a settlement agreement, but the city did not admit any liability.
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As part of the settlement terms, the City of Brunswick dismissed its nuisance suit against The Well, posted a notice of the settlement agreement to its website, added a link for submitting an RLUIPA complaint, and provided RLUIPA training to all city commissioners and the mayor.
The city will also have to report once a year to the DOJ showing it is continuing to comply with the settlement agreement, which is effective for three years.
As part of the settlement between the city and FaithWorks, Brunswick News reported that both parties agreed to the following: “Homelessness is a complex problem facing every city in America, and The Well has, since its founding in 2015, made valuable contributions to addressing homelessness issues by providing an array of services to the homeless population in Brunswick,” and that “A majority of the people served by The Well are local residents who have fallen on hard times, though rumors persist of the homeless population being relocated here from other cities because of The Well, despite evidence to the contrary.”
Additionally, the city’s police department worked with The Well to develop ordinances and restrictions on public camping and other safety and security measures.
MinistryWatch has reported on a variety of cases involving RLUIPA. Read more of that coverage here.
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