In response to the lawsuit filed by Nichols Accounting against the City of Ontario, Community in
Action and Origins Faith Community:
Origins Faith Community believes that this lawsuit is harmful to the community at large and will
cause unnecessary delay in helping some of the most vulnerable in the community. There is no
question that addressing homelessness is a need in our community and countless hours of work,
by multiple organizations, have gone into finding a way to begin to address the homeless
problem in our community. Complex problems like homelessness are difficult to navigate and it
was determined that this Pilot Program (effective only until April 30th) is the best plan of action
at this time. It allows our community to tap into $150,000 of state funding that will disappear if
it is not used. It allows us the opportunity to learn and get better at addressing this issue within
our community and at the same time it gives us opportunity, through the New Hope Shelter
services, to get people off the streets and out of their cars during these extremely cold winter
nights.
Origins Faith Community would be very disappointed should this project be shut down out of
fear of the worst case scenario. Pastor James Vogt says, “It seems like there is a lot of fear
based on the assumption of all the things that could go wrong. Why can’t we instead operate
under the assumption of all the things that could go right? We don’t have to determine this is a
failure before it even gets off the ground.”
Plans and procedures are being developed to give the best possible chance to create a positive
environment for those who may need to use the shelter and have minimal impact within the
surrounding community. Plans are already in place to evaluate the Pilot Program once the
funding period is over on April 30th. Nichols Accounting has been invited, on multiple
occasions, to be a part of this evaluation process.
It is the sincere desire of Origins Faith Community to see this Pilot Program move forward. This
first step in addressing homelessness in our community will help enable us to work with other
community partners in the future as we strive to create a better Ontario for all who work or live
here.

James Vogt
Pastor – Origins Faith Community
Administrator – New Hope Shelter Services