A Winnipeg church is trying to combat the problem of homelessness on their front doorstep, while still showing the love of Christ. 

A makeshift tent community has settled on the front lawn of All Saint's Anglican Church.

"We've seen a huge increase in people coming and needing a place and camping on our lawn, probably in the last three weeks," says Brent Neumann, priest and director of All Saints'. "It's the biggest in anybody's memory of the parish."

"The issues that are being presented are so broad that there is not going to be one simple approach to it," shared Neumann.

Citing mental health, drug addiction, concerns for safety, unemployment, homelessness, and apathy as some of the main reasons behind the sudden influx of individuals out on their front yard, the reverend explained that the problems the church is experiencing are, as a result, both practical and moral in nature.

"We're seeing a huge increase in vandalism, we're seeing our outdoors being used as an outdoor privy, a lot of garbage and damage, and really not getting anywhere with the system because nobody knows what to do at this point."

Reverend Neumann says the biggest problems facing the church right now is how to love their front lawn visitors while still addressing the tangible issues they've been confronted with.

"It's a safe place for me and my friends."

It's a hard balance to maintain, and Neumann says it's an issue for all involved with the church.

"There's a tension between those who this has been their home, they've looked after this place for years, they've loved it and treasured it, and now it's being damaged which is incredibly frustrating," the priest explained. The other side of the congregational perspective comes from those wanting to continue to offer an open door as a way of reaching out to the individuals who've wound up at their place of worship.

As the priest, Neumann recognizes the legitimacy behind both sides of the matter and says he is caught in the middle of the situation.

"I think there are solutions for us, but it would require investment and initiative on behalf of our city."

An addictions worker for 15 years, Neumann says that the recent provincial cuts in spending aren't helping to address these kinds of concerns. "When you create chaos in the system... what happens is that the people on the bottom end tend to fall apart faster.

"It's a huge, complex issue."

"We're talking to them, we're trying to figure out what we need to do for them," Neumann says. For now, those not honouring the space are being asked to move along, while individuals posing no problem have been allowed to stay.

"I'm challenged right to the max"

Those living on the front lawn have also been invited in to experience the services put on by All Saints', an effort on behalf of the church to get to know their visitors.

Mostly homeless, the people gathered on the front lawn of the church remain for the access to free meals, companionship, and safety.

"Sanctuary," said one individual when asked why he had come to stay at the church. "It's a safe place for me and my friends."

Another expressed gratitude for the freely available food provided to them.

Reverend Neumann simply wants to find an effective way to solve the problem at hand. "I'm challenged right to the max," he said.

For the immediate future, Neumann isn't sure what will be done to address the issues. Upcoming construction plans on the parish, however, which include the building of a new apartment unit in the space currently serving as the church's front yard, may serve as one solution to the issue.

"It doesn't address the whole problem," Neumann says, but he's hopeful that it will help in a small way.