A homeless encampment on church grounds, pictured above last week, is being challenged by the Town of Ocean City.
Roughly three months ago, St. Paul’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church started welcoming members of the homeless population to stay on church property, purchasing tents and setting up an encampment in an alcove just south of its downtown facility.
The goal, according to Pastor Jill Williams, was simple – to provide temporary shelter for the community’s most vulnerable individuals until a more permanent solution could be found.
“We are saying we want to do something,” Williams said of the church’s outreach initiative. “This is the mission. We are compelled by the Gospel.”
However, the church’s efforts are now being challenged by the Town of Ocean City, which has been in communication with St. Paul’s in recent weeks over what it sees as a zoning violation. The church has been asked to remove its tents by the end of the month.
“I can confirm that the city has been in conversations with the Church to address the issue,” City Manager Terry McGean said in a statement Tuesday. “While we understand the goal of the Church to assist the homeless, the tents are a zoning violation and they do need to come up with an alternate code-compliant solution.”
Williams said the “tent city,” which houses between eight and 12 individuals, provides a place where people experiencing homelessness can legally stay overnight. Last year, both Worcester County and Ocean City enacted tougher laws aimed at punishing those who sleep or store personal property in public places, with violations resulting in fines or jail time.
“We’re in a new landscape this year,” she said, “because this was the first winter where it’s illegal to sleep on public property in Worcester County.”
The temporary tent community, she said, is the church’s short-term response. Those who do not qualify for other housing options – including Diakonia and the cold-weather shelter – can find protection from the elements at St. Paul’s.
Maybe Pastor Jill Williams can open the church and let the homeless camp out or even live in the church.
2026 Session MD LEG
HB0104 – Unhoused Individuals – Rights and Affirmative Defense
Unhoused?? ROTFLMFAO
I am sick and tired of being accosted by these homeless criminals. I am no longer a member of this church. I found a real church to attend. Not once was I asked how I felt about this in my church!
If these homeless people had enough ambition to get up in the morning, go find a job, and work it like I and millions of others do, they probably wouldn’t be homeless.