AUSTIN, Texas — A new lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton claims an Austin homeless center has turned a quiet neighborhood into a hub of drugs and crime.
Paxton claims the Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center in South Austin, which is next door to Joslin Elementary School, has enabled those crimes and rampant drug use despite the organization's mission to create transformation.
In September, neighbors in the area said they walk past drug paraphernalia like needles every day. One mother whose son goes to Joslin Elementary said she's even found needles with the tip shoved underneath wood on the playground and won't let her son play there anymore.
Those claims led Paxton's office to investigate further, saying Sunrise enabled this behavior and that the center is jeopardizing the safety of kids, residents and businesses.
Sunrise opened about nine years ago and offers those experiencing homelessness food, hygiene products, mail, a computer lab, mental health and substance abuse services. However, Paxton claims that Sunrise also has a "syringe distributor" at its facility each week to give people drugs and allow them to inject themselves on-site.
City leaders have been looking into two new locations in order to move Sunrise away from Joslin Elementary, but do not have a timeline for the move. The center gets funding from Austin and Travis County, including $350,000 that was just allocated by the county last week.
The Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center responded to Paxton's lawsuit with the following statement, saying churches are protected to do work that is an expression of their religious practice:
“It is regrettable that the Attorney General Paxton took this route, especially during the week of Thanksgiving, but Sunrise intends to keep offering services to people in our community who need them,” said Mark Hilbelink, executive director of Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center. “We are committed to being a good neighbor. We will continue to work, every day, to support Joslin Elementary School, our neighborhood and our entire community.”
Hilbelink added, “As a faith-based ministry of Sunrise Community Church, our mission and obligation is to take care of the poor. Churches are protected under the First Amendment and the U.S. Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, as well as the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act. These laws have been tested in court on multiple occasions, always with the same result: churches are protected to do work that is an expression of their religious practice.”
Alan Graham of Mobile Loaves and Fishes and Community First! Village, a leader on homelessness in Texas, said, "Faith-based institutions like churches offer some of the most important solutions to the epidemic of homelessness in Texas. Limiting their ability to do that undercuts all of us, and it contributes to the challenge of homelessness in our state. Thankfully, the First Amendment, federal law and state law protect churches that serve people experiencing homelessness across our country, even when governments attempt to restrict their work. The important and protected work that Sunrise and other houses of worship do in our communities should be celebrated and welcomed, even as they work to be good neighbors to everyone in the areas where they find themselves."
"As the largest provider of homelessness services in Travis County, Sunrise has helped more than 4,275 people move into safe, supportive housing," the statement continued. "Sunrise serves thousands of people each year through its digital call center, outreach efforts, housing programs, and in-person services. These critical resources support a diverse population — including many families with young children, who are among the fastest-growing segments of Austin’s homeless population. Through the Neighbors Helping Neighbors ambassador program, Sunrise also employs people who clean the area, address community concerns, and contribute to local beautification."