A Fruit Heights church that previously volunteered to host a warming center for homeless people in Davis County withdrew its offer after “anxiety and discord” in the community.

Mountain Road Church leadership announced its decision to remove the church from Davis County’s code blue plan at a Fruit Heights community meeting Wednesday.

The meeting came after residents expressed surprise at the lack of notification about the plan. The Fruit Heights City Council Chambers was filled with residents Wednesday, with the overflow crowd directed to a room below to watch a live stream of the meeting.

“We are sorry that the Code Blue Warming Center has become a divisive and emotional issue in Fruit Heights. It was never our intention to sow anxiety and discord in our community. In fact, in As a church, we want to bring unity, harmony and love into our community,” said Mountain Road Church Pastor Don Krafft.

“Mountain Road embarked on this journey with the best of intentions. However, this issue has now become one of discord, anger and even division within this precious community that we are so happy to be a part of. We certainly don’t want to be the cause of such angst,” he said.

The pastor’s announcement that he would no longer host the Davis Code Blue facility drew cheers from the crowd.

During the meeting, several residents expressed their frustration with the proposal.

Resident Scott Heusser said, “This is not a place that should be here in Fruit Heights. And I’m just being honest with you, I’ve looked at both sides on this, and this is just not the place for it.

Another resident asked how many homeless people were in the Kaysville and Fruit Heights area and suggested other areas with more homeless people could be better served by a shelter.

“I’m all for helping the less fortunate. I just don’t see why we would bus the homeless to Fruit Heights,” Heusser said.

“I think most of us are here and concerned about this; we are concerned about the homeless; we want to help, but what we are concerned about is how this happened. don’t let us know When you’re doing this for In other communities, what is your plan to be transparent and let people know who might be affected by it, and that’s why? we are here,” asked one resident.

“What are the penalties if we decide we don’t want this in Davis County, period? Do we have ways to deal with this? I don’t want this in a city’s backyard, not just ours,” one woman said. .

Afterward, Fruit Heights Mayor John Pohlman said he had only learned of the church’s decision an hour and a half earlier. Pohlman also apologized to the growing crowd.

“In my conversation with some residents, I have to use these words of compassion and our need to be of service…and I truly apologize for the feeling I caused in the residents by talking to you about doing what was “I never imagined how divisive this would have been for residents, and I am truly sorry for any cause of so much conflict and division within our community.” Pohlman said.

On Oct. 15, Pohlman had informed the city council of plans that would include using a city bus that would stop at several locations and bring homeless people to church starting around 7 p.m. on blue nights — when temperatures are expected to drop to 18 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. They would stay at the church until 7 a.m. the next morning, then the bus would drop them off where they were picked up. Under the proposed plan, the individuals would have remained at the facility during those hours and a sheriff’s deputy would have provided security.

“This is beyond the city’s control,” Pohlman told the City Council last month, calling it a “win-win” and emphasizing the need to help people experiencing homelessness. When asked by a council member at that Oct. 15 meeting when residents would be informed of the city’s plans, Pohlman said the city was not required to notify residents because the decision was made between the state, county and leadership of Mountain Road Church.

City Manager Darren Frandsen also lamented that the problem was becoming “a divide” between neighbors.

“Fruit Height has always been a community ready to serve and help those around it,” he said in a prepared statement. “Each of us has been given free will to help and serve as we see fit. The way people treat each other in this country has become very hateful when there is disagreement. Fruit Heights has always been better than that. Over the past few days, I’ve had a hard time reading a neighbor say to their neighbor, “You’re not like Christ” whether or not you support the warming center. I believe fear, hatred and. complacency in us will continue to divide Fruit Heights.

Frandsen asked residents to be considerate, considerate and respectful of others, even when disagreements arise.

Davis County’s ongoing problems cement plan

Davis County was required by state law to submit a code blue plan to the Utah Office of Homeless Services on August 1. Under HB499, signed into law in 2023, counties with populations of at least 175,000 – which includes Davis County – are required this year to submit a winter response plan to meet the emergency shelter needs of residents. homeless people from October 15 to April 30. Code Blue is issued by a local health department when temperatures are expected to reach 18 degrees and below, with wind chill.

The law also states that if a county chooses to pursue a year-round option, its deadline would be extended to August 2025. But Davis County was still required to provide a code blue plan for that year. His initial plan was ultimately rejected by the State Office of Homeless Services because it exceeded the county’s state funding.

The Davis County task force proposed the state purchase a bus that seats 20 people when an alert is issued. That plan was rejected, and the county and state were subsequently approached by homeless services provider Switchpoint about the provider’s intention to submit a bid on property in North Salt Lake. This proposal was overwhelmingly rejected by North Salt Lake residents and the North Salt Lake City Council after it was revealed.

State Homeless Coordinator Wayne Niederhauser met with the Davis County Government Council on Oct. 16 to help the county comply with Code Blue. Just last week, Davis County had solidified its code blue plan with three alternate locations if, for some reason, the Mountain Road church was unable to host a party.

The first code blue for the county was called Tuesday, but no action was taken. Future plans are uncertain, but the three other identified sites could be exploited. These locations included the county’s Inspection and Emissions Center building, the Clearfield Senior Center and Valley View Golf Course.