Health board approves amended rules on food handouts

Despite a raucous disruption by Occupy Philadelphia protesters, the city Board of Health approved amended regulations Thursday for groups that feed the homeless outdoors.

Groups will be required to obtain a permit from the city and to have at least one member receive free food-safety training from the Health Department.

Health Commissioner Donald F. Schwarz said he expected the new rules to be enforced around May 1.

The regulations come as the city proceeds with a ban in city parks on feeding the homeless and others who want free meals.

Critics say the city wants to move the homeless away from the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, where one of the largest daily feedings is held and where the new $200 million Barnes Foundation building is scheduled to open in May.

Mayor Nutter says his motivation is to have safe and clean places indoors where people in need can eat and have access to other services.

The Board of Health meeting started in relative peace shortly after 5:30 p.m. on the 16th floor of the Municipal Services Building.

Schwarz walked through a list of public concerns the board had received and the amendments drawn up in response to ease some of the burdens groups had complained about.

A large police contingent stood by in the meeting room and outside in the hallways.

As Schwarz started to conduct a public reading of the proposed regulations, some members of the audience loudly complained that the process was undemocratic and that the new rules would hurt the homeless.

Gradually, the interruptions became louder and angrier, with some protesters likening Schwarz and the board to segregationists and Nazis.

One woman gave Schwarz a sandwich and a speech.

Schwarz asked several times for the disruptions to end, then finally left with the rest of the board, escorted by police.

The board reconvened on the 14th floor. Two people with Occupy Philadelphia were allowed to attend and record the meeting, which was broadcast from speakers into the 16th-floor meeting room.

Schwarz said the board had planned for the disruption and chose to move rather than have the police forcibly clear the protesters. "The Board of Health did not want anyone arrested," he said.

When the board concluded its meeting, no one had been arrested. But a short time later, three people were taken into custody on the 16th floor because they ignored repeated police orders to leave the room.

The board had received 127 written comments and heard from 73 speakers since the regulations were introduced in early February, Schwarz said.

The key amendment was the elimination of a requirement that groups that feed people outdoors use a commercially approved kitchen.

The new rules allow for food to be prepared in a private home that meets minimum requirements, such as having hot and cold water. Home kitchens will not be inspected.

Another change involved requiring groups to provide menus to the city of what they plan to serve. Now they will have to specify only whether the food will be hot or cold.

Groups will need to have at least one member attend a two-hour training class run by the Health Department. Because a trained person must be at the feeding site, Schwarz encouraged groups to have multiple members take the training.

Groups also must display their permits, which will include contact information for the Health Department in case of food-related illness, at the time food is served.

Outdoor sites must include a temporary hand-washing facility. Food must be prepared no more than four hours before serving.

The sites and commercial kitchens will be subject to unannounced inspections.

If a group violates a regulation, it will receive a warning citation. After a third violation, a permit will be pulled and the group will need to retrain. Only after three more violations would a group face a fine.

The city is expected to set up a temporary serving location around May 1 at the northwest corner of City Hall.