On Thursday, a court in Williams County ordered a church in Bryan, Ohio, to stop sheltering homeless people until it fixes alleged fire and zoning code violations. This decision went against a request from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, who asked the court to let the church continue helping people. Bryan’s mayor, Carrie Schlade, criticized Yost’s involvement, calling it a political move tied to his recent announcement to run for governor.
The court order doesn’t specify what penalties the church, its pastor, or the landlord might face if they don’t comply. It also doesn’t set a clear deadline for when the church must remove the people staying there.
Yost argued that forcing people out of the church in the middle of winter could be dangerous. He also said the court didn’t fully consider the church’s right to religious freedom under Ohio law, focusing only on federal laws.
Mayor Schlade fired back, saying Yost was uninformed about the long-running legal dispute and accused him of putting his political ambitions above public safety.
“We care about the people staying at Dad’s Place,” Schlade said. “But we can’t ignore the dangers this church is exposing them to. Instead of making political statements, Yost should focus on enforcing the Ohio Fire Code.”
The city had already warned Dad’s Place last November to stop housing people around the clock. Officials said the church was violating zoning laws and didn’t have required safety features like an automatic sprinkler system, which could put lives at risk. Pastor Christopher Avell, who runs the church, was charged with zoning violations, though those charges were later dropped. However, he still faces a fire code violation, a serious misdemeanor. His trial began this week.
Jeremy Dys, one of Avell’s lawyers, said the city’s actions were disheartening.
“It’s sad the city is treating a pastor like a criminal for helping his community,” Dys said. “It’s heartbreaking that the city would rather let people freeze outside than let a church help those in need.”
Avell and his supporters argue that the church’s efforts to shelter people are an important religious mission, protected by both state and federal laws. But a federal court has ruled that this argument is unlikely to succeed.
The church has also accused the city of “harassment,” filing a federal complaint in July. The city, however, maintains that while helping the homeless is admirable, it can’t come at the cost of safety.
“We didn’t want to take this step,” Schlade said. “But we have to prioritize the safety of everyone in the building and nearby. For over a year, we’ve tried to work with Dad’s Place to meet safety standards, like installing a sprinkler system where people sleep, which is required by law.”