Chapter 89
Look Around, Does Your Community Help The Homeless?
The time is at hand for all of us to prepare as to how we will respond to people who are homeless. Some cities around the country are beginning to address the homeless population in various ways. Most churches are usually aware of which ministries in town offer benevolent help, however in the times coming, all churches should be ready to assist and help the homeless. It is easy to send people to a food pantry that may be down the street and feel that we have discharged our duty; however, each church should begin planning and preparing, looking for specific ways to be helpful and not avoid direct help to the homeless.
What results can we expect if we share our resources and work together for a common goal? Consider a few of the positive results that have been attained when organizations and individuals make it their lives’ service to serve the poor and homeless.
One excellent practice is when churches in an area unite together, combining their efforts to help the homeless in their community. Today, there are homeless families that need the ability to remain together, find employment, and a place to live. Some communities have homeless coalitions supported by local churches that fund a temporary housing unit that helps families stay together while they get on their feet.
Our community has an organization such as this, the interfaith Hospitality network, with 15 churches and several hundred volunteers that provides temporary housing, food, and fellowship to homeless children and their families. “A family may stay at Rebekah’s House from 30 to 120 days as long as they are setting and meeting goals. The program provides a safe space where the families may stay together while the children attend school and the adults search for housing. The house is well run, clean, and we provide case-management services aimed at the families moving into permanent housing. Last year the IHN served 33 families (43 adults and 66 children). We helped women leaving abusive situations and single fathers trying desperately to hold on to their children and provide a stable life for them. We helped families that were unemployed and underemployed and families that were receiving disability. The one constant was that we helped people who wanted to be better for their families. These families were living in their cars or being evicted from their homes. Of those 33 families we only have one whose status is unknown.”1
Another effective program that is spreading across the country began in 1981. At the writing of this book it was already in 100 cities across America. This organization, called Family Promise, is working to network churches across America to help the homeless families with children. This program is one answer to our plight for churches, synagogues, Christians, and other benevolent individuals to work together in every city to provide the resources needed to get the homeless back on their feet. This group has caused the outgrowth of increased awareness of the plight of the homeless families with children and has raised the involvement of community leaders, churches and their members. They are working with traditional housing, childcare, and family mentoring programs in their cities. They have recognized that “houselessness” many times for the family also means the profound loss of family, friends, and the support system that connects most of us to a stable life. Their goal is to help families who find themselves homeless not only to get the help they need but also achieve independence and work for permanent solutions. Their program recognized the need for compassion, understanding, generosity, and the importance of valuing others. As the Lord god says, “…love your neighbor as yourself,”2 and then, the golden Rule that we have heard since childhood, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”3
After Hurricane Katrina, the gulf Coast had thousands of families without a home, and thousands of volunteers from churches, schools, and groups in general who felt a great burden to help came from all over the country. We on the Mississippi gulf Coast will be forever grateful for the kindness demonstrated by unnumbered volunteers during our time of community grief. In the beginning they served food and provided needed medical, supplies, and clothing. They helped clean up the filth, flood damage, and mold; they hauled away debris, and repaired roofs and anything else they could repair. It has been many years after Katrina, and volunteers are still coming, fixing homes, and helping residents. We have surely seen God’s hand of generosity through these volunteers. This is what America and being American is about, and this is what we should all strive for.
Working together as a community has many benefits, as the sharing of resources can be utilized and costs divided. If items are needed, garage sales are excellent places to gather clothing and various small appliances without much investment. And consider, most church properties have buildings that are only used a few days, or even hours, a week. Many church members may have solutions for these families without realizing it; therefore, it is time to open discussions and see what’s available. Each church should form a group to pray and consider what they can do for the existing homeless and begin preparing in the event there is a major need in their city.
It is time to recognize that the conditions, poverty, and homelessness we have previously seen in foreign countries may be coming to our land. Yes, we have always had the homeless among us, but Americans have mostly claimed ignorance concerning this group of impoverished people. Americans, wake up! The time is coming, and in fact is here, when this group of our own American citizens will represent our friends, our families, our neighbors, our Pastors, and even ourselves. We must open our eyes to these possibilities, and prepare for the future of America.
We should all consider the positive impact one individual, one family, one organization, one church, or one community can achieve to help the homeless when working together with god’s love, god’s compassion, and god’s direction.