PETERSBURG – A city minister says Petersburg’s mayor “owes an apology” to Petersburg’s pastors after criticizing the faith community for what he said was rebuffing Petersburg’s efforts to address needs of its homeless and unsheltered populations.
During a work session Tuesday night, Mayor Sam Parham claimed Petersburg officials had reached out several times in the past seven years to churches to work with them on addressing the issue. Each time, he claimed, “nobody ever stepped up.”
That remark drew angry reactions from some in the audience who had come to support the nonprofit Petersburg Center for Development in calling for the city to fund efforts to bring permanent shelters to town. The last full-time shelter in the city was operated by The Salvation Army, and that shuttered in 2017.
Parham acknowledged the crowd reactions but said the last attempt he knew of to address the issue by a church wound up closing because none of the other houses of worship in town would help. He told the audience to “keep your enthusiasm going” beyond just appearing before council.