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Regular City Council Meeting Monday, March 6, 2023 Page 3 Cosan/O'Connor, the law firm that is assisting them in this appeal and spe- cifically as it relates to the Federal Statutes outlined in the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. He also invited everyone in support of the appeal to stand or raise their hands. Pastor Christ stated what they are doing would not be possible if not for a wide base of support they have been receiving. His goal is to be clear that their concern for the homeless and providing shelter to Valerie is not just the right thing to do, for them, it is an act of faith. The long history of Prince of Peace for living out this faith in the countless ways it has loved its neighbors, especially those in need,has conditioned them to respond in this way. When someone is hurting, they respond. When someone is hungry, they respond. When someone is alone, they respond. In 2019, Roseville Schools shared with them that over 250 students in the district were unstably housed. This startling statistic forced Prince of Peace to ask, how will they respond now. Prince of Peace formed an affordable housing team to consider how their resources, including their sizeable campus might aid in addressing this crisis of homelessness. At the same time and as the COVID pandemic wore on, Prince of Peace experienced a dramatic increase in the volume of people presenting themselves at their door and looking for help. For each who came to them,they offered what they could. They also took note of how frequently people clearly living out of their vehicles are found their parking lot, at a place where they would not get asked to leave. When Cari McCollor called to ask if Roseville Police could send them Valerie and her RV, his response was going to be yes. As a church, they have an acute awareness that our abilities to love and serve their neighbors are dramatically improved when they seek out strategic partnerships. Partnering with Roseville Police is one example of that. Partnering with Settled is another.After Valerie introduced the church to Settled, Settled offered to provide the church with an upgrade to Valerie's RV and transform her circumstances by employing a Commu- nity First model and creating this interim sacred settlement. Again, the church's response was yes. As the church has been able to care for Valerie in such simple terms, with striking outcomes, they would like to invite the City of Roseville, all of its departments, and not just the Police, to become strategic partners with Prince of Peace Lutheran Church as they further ad- dress the needs of those experiencing chronic homelessness in the commu- nity and all the City needs to do is to say yes. Pastor Christ noted he wished the City Council could have also met the Va- lerie he met last July, but the Valerie the Council is going to hear from to- night is truly remarkable. In July, she was exhausted by her circumstances but resolute in her hopes for a future. In the months since,Valerie has grown more and more confident in that future. Along the way she has demonstrated to Prince of Peace that God is still very much at work in Roseville.