According to the Texas Homeless Network, the annual point in time count identified 10,081 homeless individuals in Texas alone. Of that number, just over 6,000 were unsheltered and almost 4,000 were sheltered. This represents about a 10% increase over last year.
These numbers are a result of the annual point in count done every year on the last Thursday of January. It should be noted that of the 254 counties in Texas, only 215 reported. And these aren’t estimates. They are actual head counts of people observed either in shelters or on the streets. Which begs the question, how many of our homeless neighbors are out there not getting counted? In the North Texas area that we serve, we counted 307 sheltered and unsheltered individuals.
You may have heard me say before that homelessness is not a problem to be solved but rather these numbers represent people who need to be helped. I know that is a bit of an oversimplification, but looking at things differently can sometimes adjust our approach.
For us, it begins with their story. Ur motto is, every person has a story and every story matters to God. We believe that listening to them helps us serve in a more targeted way. Every person and every story is different.
Listening does something else. It builds trust and relationship. Nobody wants to be treated like a statistic or just another client. When we listen, we do so with compassion and in a non-judgmental way. Our goal is to reduce their stress and trauma before we start offering help.
Sometimes, if they are willing, we will pray with them and share biblical counsel. Sharing the Gospel is always on the table, but we don’t reserve our help for only those who believe in Jesus.
The way I approach the numbers is that one is too many. If I get overwhelmed by the masses, I can find myself paralyzed and ineffective. So, we serve one person at a time. I would love to be able to go out on the streets and solve the problem with a speech or a program. But it doesn’t work that way. First of all, they wouldn’t listen, but secondly, each story and every person is different. Their needs are different. So we approach them that way, one at a time, sharing the love of Christ and the hope that only He can provide. Meeting their physical needs in hopes that our help will help them help themselves. From there, they get to decide.
