Mercy Culture Church’s shelter for human trafficking victims took another step toward becoming a reality after church leaders announced in November that the project would go before the Fort Worth Zoning Commission.
It comes after an Oct. 4 meeting between church leadership and Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, following a Sept. 29 sermon by lead pastor Heather Schott that accused the city of discrimination.
Schott and state Rep. Nate Schatzline — who also serves as pastor at the church — announced the Nov. 13 hearing date in a video on Instagram.
Schott thanked supporters for sending emails to city staff, the mayor and members of the City Council, urging them to move the project forward.
Schatzline urged supporters to continue their efforts, noting that the project still needs City Council approval after the zoning hearing.
“This is going to get built and we’re more excited than ever,” he said.
Mercy Culture submitted a site plan amendment application on August 5 city review of the July building permit application established the proposed 100-bed shelter was inadequate with the Fort Worth Land Use Rules.
The early August filing should have landed the project on the docket of the Sept. 11 zoning commission, but discussions between the city and the church and the need for a separate zoning change application postponed the project until November.
“As I have said before, my door is always open,” Parker said in a statement to the Star-Telegram.
“I welcomed the opportunity to better understand Justice Reform’s mission to help victims of human trafficking in our community and to better explain how every project in our rapidly growing city must go through the established Zoning Commission process,” she said.
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That process requires the zoning commission to vote on whether to recommend approval of the project before a final vote by the City Council.
The commission has the option to postpone the matter to allow for more discussion, but Parker, Schott and Schatzline all said in their statements that the council will vote on the project at its Dec. 10 meeting.
The proposed shelter is part of the church’s Justice Reform Ministry, which aims to rehabilitate victims of human trafficking.
The two-story building would include a dining room, gym, offices, gathering areas and two floors of residential bedrooms that could accommodate up to 115 people, according to the building permit application and plans obtained by the Star-Telegram through an open door. file request.
Mercy Culture has been trying to get the project built in December 2021, but has faced opposition from residents in the nearby Oakhurst neighborhood over parking and safety concerns.
Schott held a meeting with Oakhurst residents in March 2022 to discuss the project, but several attendees reported none of their questions were answered.
In her September 29 sermon, she described some of the meeting’s participants as “a group of agitators who hate Christian values.”
Several Oakhurst residents have expressed support for helping human trafficking victims, but the shelter’s proximity to Interstate 35W has led some to question the wisdom of the location.
The Zoning Commission will consider the matter at its 1 p.m. meeting on Nov. 13 at the Old City Hall on Texas St.
