Petersburg's mayor criticized by faith community for chiding churches over handling homeless

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.

“That lady was over 70 years old, and she said she just could not be at the church every night by herself,” Parham said of the former pastor at First Baptist Church-Washington Street.. “When it’s time to step up, I expect everybody in this room tonight to be a part of it. Don’t just be here tonight but be here every night.”

That did not set well with some in the audience who walked out after Parham’s comments. They claimed Parham was speaking out of turn because he is not as immersed in the movement as they are.

Even when Vice Mayor Darrin Hill came out of the meeting in an attempt to unruffle feathers and told the group Parham was “only one member of council,” that only seemed to raise the tension.

“He’s bigger than one member,” Pastor Belinda Baugh of New Divine Worship Center told Hill. “He’s the mayor. And when you’re the mayor and you’re not in touch with the city, this is what my problem with the situation is. Please tell our mayor he owes the city clergy an apology.”

‘Make them a priority’

Baugh was among a large group of civic and faith leaders at the meeting to support Pat Hines, founder of the Petersburg Center for Development. During a public-comment period, Hines asked councilors to “do the right thing” and begin earmarking money in the city’s annual budget to help the homeless and unsheltered. She also asked for council to start working more with citizens, groups and churches to find answers to the problem.

Homeless advocates have been critical of what they say is Petersburg’s nonchalant attitude toward homelessness ever since The Salvation Army closed its shelter. They claim that Petersburg is reticent to address the problem because it claims many on the streets are coming to town from other areas; therefore, the city was unable to focus solely on its own homeless.

In her remarks, Hines noted that, referring to it as “the party line.” However, that was years ago “and things change,” she said. Petersburg cannot keep its head in the sand over the problem

“Make them a priority,” Hines told council.

Before the meeting, Hines told The Progress-Index she did not expect to get a positive reaction from council over her presentation. However, based on the audible gasps, neither she nor any other supporter seemed to be prepared for Parham’s response.

“I don’t see how he can even make that kind of statement,” Baugh said outside the council meeting room. “Because we don’t open our doors and put out cots for homeless people to come in and lay in the sanctuaries and those kinds of things? How can you believe that is any kind of reasonable statement to make concerning the churches in our region?”

Baugh then ticked off a list of what her church and others do

“The churches provide hotels. The churches provide food. The churches provide clothing,” she said. “Churches are assisting our community on a regular basis with electric bills, rent payments and all types of things. So are we responsible for doing it all?”

Meeting within the meeting

Hill spent roughly 10 minutes trying to encourage the advocates to not give up. As a pastor himself, Hill told them he “did not agree” with what Parham said in the meeting, so he felt compelled to address that.

“I’m not here to defend him,” Hill said. “I came out here to grab you all and say I hear your voices, and I want to try and work with you all.”

He promised to spearhead a new partnership between the city and the homeless advocates to get the problem addressed.

Still, the advocates left the building not holding out much hope that the city would hold up its end.

“I think what we saw today was disgraceful,” said Denise Biggs of Katie’s Soles, a nonprofit that assists low- and no-income families. “I don’t feel like they care about what’s going on in the area.”

Hines summed up her presentation to council this way.

“I believe this community needs to stand up and do what’s right,” she said. “And the only way we can do that is [to be] united, and the community has to learn when not to accept something.”

Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Petersburg mayor, pastors at odds over city's homeless