Far-right Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a polarizing figure in state politics, has made headlines again, this time targeting a church in Austin for its homeless outreach efforts. Known for his combative approach, Paxton, a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, recently announced a lawsuit against Sunrise Community Church, accusing the organization of endangering public safety with its homeless services.
On Tuesday, November 26, Paxton declared the lawsuit, alleging that the church’s Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center, which serves Austin’s homeless population, has created a public nuisance. “By operating a taxpayer-funded drug paraphernalia giveaway next to an elementary school, this organization is threatening students’ health and safety and unjustly worsening daily life for every single resident of the neighborhood. We will shut this unlawful nuisance behavior down,” Paxton stated.
The Navigation Center, which has been operating since 2015, provides meals, showers, and access to technology to those experiencing homelessness. Sunrise Community Church describes it as the largest provider of homelessness services in Travis County. According to reporting by the Austin American-Statesman, the ministry claims to have helped over 4,275 individuals transition into stable housing.
Despite the church’s claims of positive impact, Paxton’s lawsuit paints a starkly different picture. The legal filing accuses the center of attracting individuals with drug problems and fostering criminal behavior in the surrounding neighborhood. The lawsuit alleges, “Sunrise homeless clients break into residents’ homes. They menace residents with machetes.
They routinely urinate and defecate in the streets. They masturbate in public while trying to grab passing women. They wake up residents with high-pitched screams in the middle of the night.” Sunrise Community Church, affiliated with the generally liberal Reformed Church in America, disputes these allegations. Eric Killelea of Chron reports that the church views the lawsuit as a direct attack on its mission.
The church maintains that its work is crucial in addressing the homelessness crisis and that the lawsuit misrepresents its efforts. This clash highlights the broader tension between Paxton’s brand of Christian fundamentalism and progressive religious organizations.
While Paxton’s supporters argue that his actions protect community safety, critics see the lawsuit as an attempt to criminalize compassion and hinder aid for Austin’s most vulnerable residents. As the legal battle unfolds, the debate over how Texas addresses homelessness and public safety continues to escalate.