A Florida church that had been providing free meals, showers, and clean clothes to people experiencing homelessness has sharply scaled back its outreach after Sarasota County alleged that the ministry violated residential zoning rules, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported.
The move may ease tensions in one neighborhood, but it also cuts off basic support for as many as 130 people a day, underscoring how communities can end up further from long-term solutions when housing needs and local services collide.
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On Aug. 26, county code enforcement told Remnant Church of Sarasota that its outreach was operating as a social-service use barred in a single-family residential area, prompting the church to cut much of the program.
Before the cutback, the church’s Remnant Cafe at its Ashton Road campus provided free coffee, meals, showers and clean clothes. Many people reached the church by public bus or on a church bus from downtown Sarasota…