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South Bronx Church Facing Eviction by Charitable Organization for Back Rent

By Eddie Small | November 25, 2014 8:54am
 The Word of Life Church may be evicted from its home at 813 Westchester Ave.
Word of Life Church
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MORRISANIA — A South Bronx church devoted to feeding the hungry could soon be evicted by its landlord, a nonprofit group geared toward helping people with criminal pasts reenter society.

The Word of Life Church, at 813 Westchester Ave., failed to pay $18,000 — April, May and June rent — in its current location, a building managed by the Osborne Association.

The church recently received notice from Osborne that it would be tossed from the building by Nov. 29, documents show. The church also failed to pay its oil and Con Edison bills from October 2013 through March 2014, according to documents Osborne sent to the church.

Jonathan Stenger, a spokesman for the Osborne Association, confirmed that the group had sent Word of Life a notice that it was terminating the church's lease but declined to comment further, citing the pending eviction as "an ongoing legal matter."

But the Rev. John Udo-Okon, the church's pastor, said that the church was forced to spend the rent money on removing an unwieldy staircase, a renovation that Udo-Okon said Osborne had promised to do before World of Life moved in in April 2013.

"It was very inconveniencing," he said. "During the winter, all the cold air would be coming in through that staircase because upstairs has broken windows."

On Aug. 27, the church cleared its outstanding balance with a $30,000 check to Osborne for five months' rent, Udo-Okon said.

"We are not owing them," he said. "They were paid."

Osborne did not comment on the payment.

"As a not-for-profit committed to providing opportunities to formerly incarcerated individuals and their families, the Osborne Association wanted to be able to have this resource in our community," the Osborne spokesman said in an email. "Unfortunately, Word of Life Church has not been able to live up to the obligations in the lease.”

Word of Life did not pay its oil and Con Ed bills because the church did not understand why they were for so much money, especially since the church does not use heat at nights or on weekends, according to Udo-Okon.

"We had questions about the bills. The bills were so high," he said. "That was why we were not paying them, because we had so many issues with the bills."

Osborne and Word of Life recently reached a court agreement to pay its utility bills in four installments, which the church has been doing, Udo-Okon said.

The Osborne Association, located at 809 Westchester Ave., holds events such as a father-daughter dance and beekeeping courses for people who have been involved with the criminal justice system. The group is also working to turn a former Bronx prison into a job-training and housing facility for the formerly incarcerated.

Word of Life is known for its massive food giveaway every Saturday, and many people who benefit from and assist with the efforts are the same people the Osborne Association helps, according to Udo-Okon.

"Their clients are there to receive food," Udo-Okon said. "Their clients are there to volunteer, to help, so it’s like shooting themselves in the foot."

He does not know where the church will go if it has to leave its Westchester Avenue spot and said its exit could force the church to shut down the food pantry.

Attendees at Word of Life's most recent food giveaway said they were grateful for what the church brought to the neighborhood.

Elshaddai Davis, 20, said he had been coming to the food pantry every week for about six months. He described the events as very helpful, especially around the holidays, and was not sure what he would do if they shut down.

“It’s hard to find another one, you know what I mean?” he said. “So I don’t know.”

George McDermott, who said he had been coming to the food pantry for years, offered a blunter assessment of life without it.

“I would starve to death,” he said.