DALLAS (AP) - Will Edwards estimates he's gotten at least 35 warnings from the city of Dallas to stop feeding homeless people.

The 53-year-old operator of Rip Parker's Memorial Ministry contends an ordinance regulating homeless feeding to approved locations is illegal. He and another ministry have a federal lawsuit pending that targets the rules, which took effect last year.

Dallas is among the nation's cities criticized in a new report for its approach to homelessness. The report from the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty and the National Coalition for the Homeless says the cities continue to criminalize homelessness. But it says those cities are using a new tactic - targeting residents and church groups who share food with them.

In Dallas, violation of the law is punishable by a fine up to $2,000. But only in a few cases have fines been issued or arrests made.

The report urged municipalities to address homelessness by collaborate with food-sharing groups instead of penalizing them.
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On the Net:

http://www.nationalhomeless.org/publications/foodsharing/pressreleas
e.html

http://www.nlchp.org/news.cfm?id1

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

AP-NY-11-15-07 1123EST