An Episcopal parish in Ocean City, Maryland, is facing a potential new legal clash with city officials after it last week began allowing unhoused people to sleep inside the church.
St. Paul’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, which is part of the Diocese of Easton, faced an April 1 deadline to stop allowing unhoused people to sleep in church-provided tents on its property, or face fines up to $5,000 daily.
The small encampment was set up last fall in response to Ocean City and the surrounding Worcester County adopting ordinances in May 2025, making it illegal – punishable by jail time – for people to sleep in public spaces. In February, City Manager Terence McGean told Williams that the tents needed to be gone by March 23. The deadline was pushed to April 1, the first day a fine would have been issued. To read more, click here
