Church of the Rock, a nondenominational congregation known as The Rock Church, filed the complaint against the town of Castle Rock.
Church of the Rock accused the town and zoning manager of attempting to prohibit the congregation from giving shelter to “people experiencing temporary homelessness.”
According to the complaint, the church was allowing RVs to camp on the property as a temporary shelter, and “as of November 2021, there were two campers on the property.”
The complaint stated – “From at least 2019 through November 2023, these campers have been used on an occasional basis to provide overnight shelter for certain temporarily shelter challenged persons participating in the Rock’s compassionate care programs. Castle Rock does not have the right to tell the Rock which vehicles can be parked in its private lot, how long they can be parked there, and whether someone can sit, stand, eat, or sleep in such vehicle.”
The church contends it has the right to provide temporary shelter for the homeless via the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. The church has plans to build short-term housing on its property for the less fortunate and has already submitted plans to the city.