The Church & Homelessness
Why is homelessness on the rise across America?
Without identifying the underlying cause of an issue, we cannot create effective solutions, and the problem continues to grow. This is the heart of the homelessness pandemic - most cities have yet to identify the root causes of homelessness in their communities. Believing the cause of homelessness is primarily a lack of housing, many attempt to solve the problem with apartments, houses, or material things. But this mindset only perpetuates the problem for the chronic homelessness.
What is chronic homelessness?
There are many reasons for homelessness. A catastrophic loss of family, a job or a serious sickness can send any healthy and effective person into homelessness. These may only need a hand-up into a rehabilitation program to get “back on track,” because they have previously “on-track” so to speak. But most of our city’s chronically homeless need much more than a hand-up to a time-fixed three to six month addiction rehabilitation program to get “on-track.” We’ve learned from years of working with the chronically homeless in Redding that most of these have never been “on-track.” They need much more than the “hand-up” from a six-month rehabilitation program.
Many drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs provide counseling and therapy resources to connect the recovering to necessary clinical help. Non-profit organizations and state-based programs provide critical and invaluable services to the homeless. We value and partner with these organizations as crucial to the lives of many now homeless. But once these programs end, the chronically homeless often have no healthy community to solidify their growth. As a result, they often fall back into addictions and homelessness.
What then is the “root” cause of chronic homelessness?
Thousands of stories across the USA unveil the main cause of chronic homelessness as the breakdown of a healthy, nuclear family. From this breakdown flows endemic loss of relationships, work, housing, basic life skills, and an onslaught of mental illnesses laced with a growing menu of addictions. They are desperate for unconditional relationships that expose and displace the darkness and pain of their appalling life experiences. Most of us grew up with a minimum baseline common-sense decision making within somewhat functional families. We struggle and fail to imagine ourselves being born into the chaos and abuse they were born into. As a result, we find it easy to be critical of them, not knowing their back-story.
See the footnote below for a brief introduction to the research on the breakdown on families, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and their contribution to homelessness.
What do the chronically homeless lack to leave homelessness?
They need a "do-over” family experience. Belonging to a mutually accountable community where they can co-discover new life for at least two years is a must. Sufficient time is required to over-ride the years of negative programming they’ve acquired through abusive childhoods and life experiences. New biblical life-habits in Jesus as their Lord and Savior need time to displace the old. They need new relationship skills, habits and work ethic to discover their unique identity and destiny in God’s kingdom on earth. They need community (family) to do this. A short-lived program is not enough.
See the footnote below for a brief introduction to the research on the breakdown on families, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and their contribution to homelessness.
What is the role of the church to end homelessness?
The role of the church is to befriend, embrace and disciple the homeless. However, the behavioral, mental and addiction complexities of the chronically homeless make it dangerous to help them. Many believers seek to be the good Samaritan, only to be ambushed by unimagined reactions and behaviors from a homeless person they were seeking to house and befriend. As a result of their negative experiences, most pastors church leadership understandably advise their congregation to keep safe, and support the work of the local rescue mission. Are there ways to overcome these risks and dangers?
The Road Home Discipleship Community - a safe place for the church to connect and co-disciple the homeless.
The Road Home is a relationship-based approach to homelessness, offering meaningful, healing relationships in partnership with a growing network of disciple-making believers from a diversity of churches.
“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’” Matthew 25:37-40
When we learn to love our poor well, unity in the church and revival will break-out!
We believe the missing link to loving our poor and homeless well is discipleship. Specifically, long-term discipleship modeled by Jesus and the early church. The church exists to be the new friends, community, and home to the homeless. If Jesus did not intend His followers to be the solution, then who is? These verses in Matthew 25:31-46 both identify us as His answer as well as provide indicators that validate our faith. Where the Church creates community with their homeless neighbors, homelessness decreases. As those called to pick up our cross and follow Him, our security and comfort become secondary to Jesus and the homeless in need.
The Road Home, in partnership with church home groups, offer the homeless loving, committed communities where they are deeply valued and truly belong and can become disciples of their creator.
The Road Home as a safe place to embrace and disciple the homeless:
We offer disciple-making volunteers and their home-groups opportunities to connect with chronically homeless “students” at the Road Home. This community environment keeps both the homeless and the volunteers safe. Those befriending the previously homeless need to be equipped, prepared, and in community themselves. What does this look like?
After orientation, a combination of classroom and on-the-job training to be provided:
Classroom training, using the Road Home Student Manual, and its application.
Cyclical on-the-job training. Learning by doing is supported by going through the training manual.
Establishing a standardized training routine helps all new volunteers get on the same page, while also empowering them to feel confident and ready.
Discuss and create ways to cultivate meaningful connections via social events at the Road Home.
Pair new volunteers with a more experienced volunteer as a mentor, whom they can shadow and ask questions during their training period and beyond.
For more information, contact us!
Research has shown that increased Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), including exposure to, abuse, violence, and neglect in childhood, correlates significantly with increased homelessness. The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness performed a study which demonstrated that those who have experienced 0 ACEs had only a 1.3% risk of homelessness, while those that have experienced 5 ACEs at 17% risk, and those with 8 or more at a 33.3% chance of homelessness. ACEs further correlated to a significantly increased risk of substance abuse, clinical depression, and other mental health disorders - factors which feed and perpetuate homelessness. Children who are raised in homelessness are exposed to exponentially higher numbers of ACEs, therefore exponentially increasing their risk to stay homeless and perpetuating the cycle. (To read more about the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness’ study, see here. Visit the National Health Care for the Homeless Council’s study here).