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BOD: Few residents seem to know much about it. Even fewer are members. Many have never seen Jefferson. ``I've hardly ever seen anybody around here go to that church,'' said Irene Gonzalez, who has lived for five years nearby on 26th Avenue. ``Usually, if there's a church on your corner, the pastor will visit you, but I've never seen their pastor.'' Neighbors say there is no mistaking the church- owned housing. It's crowded, run-down, and often church vehicles are parked nearby. They blame Deeper Life and its tenants for the condition of the properties. They question why more isn't done to repair them. ``It's just horrible,'' said Carrol Marshall, president of the V.M. Ybor Neighborhood Association and Crime Watch. ``They're not holding the people who live there accountable.'' Jefferson says the problems aren't his fault. The church buys only ``nice houses,'' he said. ``It's the people we deal with. They are something else,'' he told the Tribune and WFLA. ``They tear the houses up, and then we have to constantly go in and redo the houses. When you take people from the street, they have no type of morals, and they'll just tear those houses up.'' Homeless advocates worry about what would happen if Deeper Life closed its doors. No one knows where the members would go. The region's homeless population is rising by as much as 11 percent annually, said Metropolitan Ministries President Morris Hintzman, and funding for services continues to be cut. In a depressed economy, more families lose their homes and seek aid from agencies such as his. But there also is concern about Deeper Life's use of its members to keep the money coming in. ``It is unconscionable,'' said Rayme Nuckles, chief executive officer of the Homeless Coalition of Hillsborough County. ``They're making it so these people become totally reliant upon the church, and it's robbing them of any chance to become self- sufficient.'' The same issue troubles Hintzman. ``The goal ultimately has to be to help your clients find their talents and help them get on their feet again, be it through vocational training or classes,'' he said. ``You have to teach them how to balance a checkbook, write a resume, dress for a job interview. The spiritual aspect is well and good, but it won't carry them through daily living.'' Bradley learned that lesson firsthand. He and his wife now live in Metropolitan Ministries' Family Care Center. They have a clean room and healthy meals. The staff is helping them achieve goals: jobs, an apartment, a car. They attend classes about addictions, budget management and self-esteem. Their time at Deeper Life is but a memory - a bad one, Bradley said. He didn't make it to his daughter's funeral. Friends bought him a plane ticket so he could pay his respects at her grave a week later. ``I can tell you what that church is all about: manipulation, domination and intimidation,'' he said, still bitter three months later. ``They may have started out with good intentions, but now it's all about greed and money.'' Researcher Angie Drobnic Holan and staff writer Sean Lengell contributed to this story. John W. Allman can be reached at (813) 259-7915; Michael Fechter at (813) 259-7621; and Michelle Bearden at (813) 259-7613. http://tampatrib.com/News/MGAPXO5BXKD.html |