The Justice Department is suing the city of Brunswick for trying to close a homeless shelter.
The federal suit charges the city with violating the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act through its efforts to interfere with and permanently close The Well, a faith-based shelter affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
“Federal law protects the right of religious groups such as The Well to use their land to help others,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The division will continue to vindicate the rights of groups to exercise their religion and fight local laws that unlawfully restrict those rights.”
The city began working to close the shelter after city officials blamed The Well in connection with unrelated criminal activity. Although The Well adopted safety and security measures suggested by the Brunswick Police Department, the city filed suit in state court seeking to close the shelter.
“We will take the steps necessary, including filing suit, to protect religious exercise against unreasonable and improper restrictions,” said Jill Steinberg, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “This office will steadfastly defend against unlawful local action the right of institutions like The Well to lawfully use their land to help their community as an expression of their religious beliefs.”
The suit claims the city’s efforts to close The Well have imposed a substantial burden on The Well’s religious exercise, that the city lacks a compelling interest and has not employed the least restrictive means of enforcing its purported interest.
The complaint seeks injunctive relief prohibiting the city from interfering with the shelter.
According to The Brunswick News, the city commission passed ordinances in 2022 and 2023 restricting public camping and passing heavy regulations on new homeless shelters.
The commission voted to temporarily shut down The Well from April to June of last year. The shelter reopened in July 2023 with upgraded security measures, but city commissioners and the mayor publicly asked The Well to stay closed.
