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Gimme shelter

22 Mar 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Sunday the author of 2 Chronicles describes how the enemies of Israel "burnt the house of God." Some of those who have lost their houses due to foreclosure in the current financial crisis are turning to the nation's airports for shelter. Clusters of big-city homeless have long settled in airport terminals, ideal round-the-clock shelters for men and women displaced by cities trying to clean up their downtowns. Now, some of the newly homeless are also turning to the relative anonymity of airports for at least temporary shelter. Michael Stoops, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, explains that the working poor or newly unemployed prefer squatting at an airport to registering with an official public shelter. "An airport is one place where most Americans have been, it's a place where they can hide their homelessness," he said. Source: An article by Dionne Walker for the Associated Press

unemployed homeless homelessness airports michael stoops national coalition for the homeless working poor
Gimme shelter

22 Mar 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Sunday the author of 2 Chronicles describes how the enemies of Israel "burnt the house of God." Some of those who have lost their houses due to foreclosure in the current financial crisis are turning to the nation's airports for shelter. Clusters of big-city homeless have long settled in airport terminals, ideal round-the-clock shelters for men and women displaced by cities trying to clean up their downtowns. Now, some of the newly homeless are also turning to the relative anonymity of airports for at least temporary shelter. Michael Stoops, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, explains that the working poor or newly unemployed prefer squatting at an airport to registering with an official public shelter. "An airport is one place where most Americans have been, it's a place where they can hide their homelessness," he said. Source: An article by Dionne Walker for the Associated Press

unemployed homeless homelessness airports michael stoops national coalition for the homeless working poor
Gimme shelter

22 Mar 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Sunday the author of 2 Chronicles describes how the enemies of Israel "burnt the house of God." Some of those who have lost their houses due to foreclosure in the current financial crisis are turning to the nation's airports for shelter. Clusters of big-city homeless have long settled in airport terminals, ideal round-the-clock shelters for men and women displaced by cities trying to clean up their downtowns. Now, some of the newly homeless are also turning to the relative anonymity of airports for at least temporary shelter. Michael Stoops, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, explains that the working poor or newly unemployed prefer squatting at an airport to registering with an official public shelter. "An airport is one place where most Americans have been, it's a place where they can hide their homelessness," he said. Source: An article by Dionne Walker for the Associated Press

unemployed homeless homelessness airports michael stoops national coalition for the homeless working poor
Helping people in straits stay off the streets

17 Jan 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The psalmist praises the Lord's "marvelous deeds" this Sunday. Advocates for the homeless are praising one of the least expensive and most unheralded initiatives in last year's stimulus bill, which is quietly saving hundreds of thousands of people from homelessness. The Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program is expected to help 600,000 people by moving some from homeless shelters into their own apartments and by providing rent payments to prevent others from being evicted. Advocates want Congress to boost the program's $1.5 billion funding as the vast need for more assistance becomes evident nationwide. Because the assistance is temporary—usually three to 18 months—the program tries to target people who are most in need and who can return to self-sufficiency within a few months, advocates say. The initiative breaks new ground in federal housing policy by focusing more resources on preventing homelessness and getting people back on their feet rather than only feeding and warehousing the destitute. "When you think about it, it really makes sense to focus on getting people back into housing faster," said Nan Roman, executive director of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. "Instead of long stays in some homeless facility with a lot of service delivery, wouldn't a little bit of money help people stay where they are and not end up in the system at all?" On top of the estimated 672,000 who are already homeless on any given night in the U.S., the alliance expects the recession to push 1.5 million more people into the streets. Source: An article by Tony Pugh for McClatchy Newspapers

recession economic stimulus homeless homelessness stimulus plan nan roman
Helping people in straits stay off the streets

17 Jan 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The psalmist praises the Lord's "marvelous deeds" this Sunday. Advocates for the homeless are praising one of the least expensive and most unheralded initiatives in last year's stimulus bill, which is quietly saving hundreds of thousands of people from homelessness. The Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program is expected to help 600,000 people by moving some from homeless shelters into their own apartments and by providing rent payments to prevent others from being evicted. Advocates want Congress to boost the program's $1.5 billion funding as the vast need for more assistance becomes evident nationwide. Because the assistance is temporary—usually three to 18 months—the program tries to target people who are most in need and who can return to self-sufficiency within a few months, advocates say. The initiative breaks new ground in federal housing policy by focusing more resources on preventing homelessness and getting people back on their feet rather than only feeding and warehousing the destitute. "When you think about it, it really makes sense to focus on getting people back into housing faster," said Nan Roman, executive director of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. "Instead of long stays in some homeless facility with a lot of service delivery, wouldn't a little bit of money help people stay where they are and not end up in the system at all?" On top of the estimated 672,000 who are already homeless on any given night in the U.S., the alliance expects the recession to push 1.5 million more people into the streets. Source: An article by Tony Pugh for McClatchy Newspapers

recession economic stimulus homeless homelessness stimulus plan nan roman
Give me shelter, Haiti pleads

31 Jan 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The psalmist this Sunday asks to be rescued and delivered so as to take refuge in the Lord, while the gospel speaks of a time when “severe famine spread over the entire land.” While the effort to find survivors in the rubble of Haiti’s earthquake winds down, some 1 million newly homeless Haitians still need refuge and deliverance from homelessness and hunger. The collapse of much of Haiti’s capital has left a large part of the nation struggling to find a place to sleep, and there are too few tents, let alone safe buildings, to put them in. Competition for the smattering of canvas homes has boiled over into arguments and fights, a sign of the desperation felt by the hundreds of thousands of homeless people struggling for shelter. Haiti’s president has asked the world for 200,000 tents and said he would sleep in one himself. The International Organization for Migration has so far been able to fly in only a fraction of the family-size tents needed. As a stopgap the organization is trying to rush in tens of thousands of tarpaulins and plastic sheets--an upgrade for people miserably squatting under bed sheets or cardboard. Two weeks into the quake catastrophe, food remains scarce for many of the survivors despite the efforts of the United Nations, the U.S. military, and scores of international aid agencies. Haitian leaders said coordination has been poor, while relief experts said this disaster is presenting unprecedented challenges. The World Food Program acknowledged that rising tensions and security incidents--including people rushing distribution points for food--have hampered deliveries. Since the first days of the massive relief effort, however, other problems have also delayed aid: blocked and congested roads, shortages of trucks, a crippled seaport, and the overloaded Port-au-Prince airport. Particularly grave is the plight of many thousands of children scattered among Port-au-Prince’s makeshift camps. They have nobody to care for them, aid workers said, leaving them without protection against disease, child predators, and other risks. “They are extremely vulnerable,” said Kate Conradt, a spokeswoman for the aid group Save the Children. She said U.N. experts estimate there may be 1 million unaccompanied or orphaned children or youngsters who lost at least one parent in the January 12 quake. Source: Articles by Shaul Schwarz for TIME and Vivian Sequera, Ben Fox, Greg Bull, and Jonathan M. Katz for Associated Press

Children kate conradt world food program international organization for migration haitians earth homelessness Haiti orphans Hunger save the children
Soccer provides home-field advantage for the homeless

09 Oct 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

"I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life," proclaims the psalmist this Sunday. In these hard times more Americans than ever are finding themselves at least temporarily homeless. And while economic recovery may be far afield, a new study suggests that a simple remedy in a nearby field can at least improve the health of homeless men: playing a pickup game of soccer two or three times a week. Although most homeless people actually get large amounts of low-intensity physical activity from having to walk the streets all day, they don't engage in high-intensity exercise, the study noted. Along with lack of access to proper health care, contributors to illness include cigarette smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, and lack of physical fitness. And because of the many hardships and disadvantages associated with homelessness, those without a home typically have poor health and low life expectancy. Attempting to improve the health of the homeless, researchers from the University of Exeter and the University of Copenhagen tried recruiting men off the streets of Copenhagen to see whether they could get them to play soccer and improve their health. It appears to have done some good: After 12 weeks, those who regularly played soccer reduced their body fat and lowered their blood pressure and cholesterol levels compared with a control group. The soccer players also improved other markers of cardiovascular health, which the authors suggested may help reduce their risk of early death. "[Soccer] seems to be a great type of fitness training for most people. Not only does it encourage varied, intense training, it is social and it can be played anywhere," said lead author Peter Krustrup. Source: An article by Meredith Melnick for TIME

health homeless exercise soccer peter krustrup
For December 25: Young adults dwell in insecurity

23 Dec 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us,” proclaims the elevating prologue to John’s gospel this Christmas Day. The long-lasting economic recession has left many young adults without a stable dwelling of their own, and the not-so-good news is that many end up in homeless shelters or even on the streets.Across the country tens of thousands of underemployed and jobless young people, many with college credits or work histories, are struggling to house themselves in the wake of a recession that has left workers between the ages of 18 and 24 with the highest unemployment rate of all adults.Those who can move back home with their parents—the so-called boomerang set—are the lucky ones, but that is not an option for those whose families have been hit hard by the slow economy. Without a stable home address, they are an elusive group, mostly “couch surfing” or sleeping hidden away in cars or other private places, hoping to avoid the lasting stigma and danger of public homelessness during what they hope will be a temporary predicament.The unemployment rate and the number of young adults who cannot afford college, however, “point to the fact there is a dramatic increase in homelessness” in that age group, said Barbara Poppe, executive director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness.Those who provide services to the poor in many cities say the economic recovery has not yet relieved the problem. “Years ago, you didn’t see what looked like people of college age sitting and waiting to talk to a crisis worker because they are homeless on the street,” said Andrea Bailey, the executive director of the Community Food and Outreach Center, one of the largest charitable organizations in Florida. “Now that’s a normal thing.”Homily hint for Mass Christmas Day: Homelessness hits hard any time of year but especially during this season of short days and long, cold nights. During his public ministry Jesus knew what it was like to live on the road. Encourage all who celebrate the Savior’s birth in a manager to reach out in whatever way they can to those without stable shelter. Remind folks that when it comes to the really big problems, while none of us can do everything, all of us can do something. Source: An article by Susan Saulny for the New York Times

recession unemployment homelessness young adults barbara poppe andrea bailey
Story of honest homeless man strikes home

22 Sep 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

A clever steward of questionable honesty is featured in this Sunday’s gospel, praised by Jesus for his resourcefulness. A homeless man in Boston who decided to be an honest steward of a backpack filled with money left behind by a tourist was praised for his integrity Monday in a ceremony with the Boston police commissioner.Glen James, who is in his 50s and lives in a homeless shelter, approached police officers outside a TJ Maxx store in the Boston neighborhood of Dorchester around 6 p.m. last Saturday with a black backpack. The man told authorities he found the bag, which contained a passport and a large sum of money, in front of the store.Inside the backpack police found $2,400 cash and $39,500 in travelers' checks. The bag also contained passports and "various personal papers," according to a statement from the Boston Police Department. Only an hour later an employee from a Best Buy store near the TJ Maxx store where the parcel was found contacted police to report a male customer who said he had lost a backpack containing "a large sum of money."After matching the name and photo on the Republic of China passport found in the backpack to the Best Buy customer who reported his backpack missing, Boston police returned the bag and money to the man, authorities said.James said he alerted police rather than take the money because “God has always very well looked after me.” “Even if I were desperate for money, I would not have kept even a penny,” he wrote in a statement due to embarrassment about a speech impediment.James received a citation from Boston’s police commissioner, and efforts are underway to raise money for him. James said he receives food stamps and panhandles at times becaus “it’s just nice to have some money in one’s pockets so that as a homeless man I don’t feel absolutely broke all the time.”Homily hint: In a world where money talks, it is easy to forget that honesty is a treasure beyond price. Invite those gathered to reflect in their heart of hearts whether in a similar position they would have returned the backpack. Let us take care to be honest in small matters so that we might pass the test if presented with greater ones. Sources: Articles by Associated Press, ABC News, and Fox News

Honesty homelessness boston glen james
Bronze of “homeless Christ” seeks home

09 Mar 2014 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Jesus ventured into the desert alone to face temptation in the story in this Sunday’s gospel. Copies of the life-size sculpture Jesus the Homeless have also been on a journey, its creator looking for permanent locations for the work.The statue, originally cast in 2012 by Canadian artist Tim Schmalz, depicts Christ lying on a bench wrapped in a blanket and has captured the imagination of Roman Catholic leaders around the world since the election of Pope Francis. In fact Schmalz met with the pope, who prayed in front of a scaled-down model of the sculpture before blessing it. He then commissioned another, life-size version for Rome. The artwork there will be installed on a high-traffic streetcorner where a homeless woman died last year, only blocks from St. Peter's Square.In 2012 Schmalz met with the rectors of St. Michael's Cathedral in Toronto and St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. Both clergymen fell in love with the sculpture, said the artist, 44, of Toronto, but neither archdiocese agreed to purchase a copy for $35,000. For about seven months the sculpture had no home, then Regis College, a Jesuit institution in Toronto, raised enough money to install it near the school's entrance. "I never thought that costs would be a concern,” Schmalz said.About seven years ago Schmalz produced a similar series involving a shrouded beggar—its outstretched hand revealing, like each foot of Jesus the Homeless, a nail wound. That piece now sits at Chicago’s Catholic Charities' headquarters."It's a raw representation of this message of Christianity," said Schmalz, who said he would like to see future copies “placed in, basically, a spot that the visual message is needed.” The sculpture, he said, offers an interactive element: room for passers-by to take a seat. "To actually merge with the piece and sit down on the sculpture is very important," he said. "I want someone to be able to uncomfortably sit right there at the feet of the homeless person.”Homily hint: It’s a little ironic that a sculpture of a homeless Jesus isn’t more widely displayed because of its prohibitive price tag! At the same time artists are due the value of their skill and materials, and it might be a small investment given the importance of the message the statue delivers: that what you do—or don’t do—for the poor is what you do or not for Jesus. It’s a vital reminder that the homeless poor are real people and that Jesus is really present in them: Would you pass by a huddled figure on a bench if you knew it was Christ? Source: An article by Manya Brachear Pashman for the Chicago Sun-Times

jesus homeless

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