I have never used this feature or my position at Faith Mission to advance a political agenda and I never will. However, some of the so-called solutions to ending homelessness have become politicized when they shouldn’t be. Saving lives and helping people achieve self-sufficiency shouldn’t be a partisan issue.
Every day, we see men and women having the worst day of their lives … sometimes for the hundredth day in a row. They come to us for help because many of them have reached the end of their road. Now I’m not here to argue or defend the reasons they got there. Some of them made some pretty bad decisions along the way. But we will always be here to offer them the love of Christ and a second chance.
While it’s true that more money and more resources can solve a lot of problems, it’s my opinion that homelessness is not just a problem to be solved.
Here’s what I mean by that. Some would say that the solution to homelessness is more houses. Take everyone off the streets and out of the shelters and give them a house. It sounds logical until you see the issue from where I stand every day. With addiction and mental illness on the rise and already at catastrophic levels in our community, it doesn’t take an expert to figure out that not everyone is ready to live in their own house. Not right away. Some need help in making the transition from the streets and shelters to independent living. That’s not a judgmental statement. It is a fact.
And the help they need requires the human touch. It takes counseling, case management, reintegration skills, job training, recovery with accountability, professional evaluations and sometimes medications. Yes. All this costs money. But it gets to the root of why they are homeless in the first place.
All this is why I believe places like Faith Mission and Faith Refuge are necessary. I wish they weren’t. But building more houses or introducing more harm reduction approaches aren’t the silver bullet.
And since I’m out here on this limb, let me just take one more wack at it. Sometimes, giving them everything they need to stay homeless isn’t the answer either. Of course, it is humane to feed someone when they are hungry, but it is even more compassionate to help them feed themselves.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on these issues. Call or email me. You can google Faith Mission and get my contact info. I’m looking forward to working together for our homeless neighbors.
