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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Homeless man rests in dignity

08 Mar 2015 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Saint Paul points out in the reading from 1 Corinthians that what seems foolish to the world may be wise in the eyes of God, and what seems weak may be strong. A homeless man who wandered the streets near the Vatican but attended daily Mass and shared his faith with worshipers for 25 years died this past winter from exposure. He has been honored with burial within Vatican City at a cemetery that is traditionally reserved for bishops and aristocrats. Homily hint: Pope Francis has encouraged creative responses to the challenges faced by the poor and homeless near the Vatican, resulting in the construction of public showers and a barber shop for the indigent. What might your faith community do to respond creatively to the challenges faced by those lacking resources? For more on the burial of a homeless man at the Vatican, see: A Homeless Man, Willy Herteller, Was Buried At A Vatican Cemetery Usually Reserved For Bishops

Poor vatican homelessness

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Homily stories

26 Jun 2016 - Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Every other Friday, like clockwork, I am awakened out of a sound sleep at 3:30 a.m. by a banging noise. I don’t even bother getting up anymore. I know the cause: A man from across the alley has been locked out of his apartment, and he is pounding on his back door begging to be let in. In years past the door would be opened to him after several minutes, but now, in a case of what I assume to be “tough love,” the door stays closed no matter the length of pounding and pleading. On frigid winter nights, my outcast neighbor will finally give up and leave with a friend in a waiting car. On hot summer nights, he passes out on the back porch. In the darkness as I await for sleep to return, I think about the prospect of having no place to go when all you want to do is rest. It is an awful feeling. I think of my friend Rich who spent two weeks living out of his car when he was in college because of a snafu with his dorm assignment. I think of the entrepreneur Chris Gardner, depicted by Will Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness, living on the street with his son while waiting for his big break. I think of the times all of us have been stuck in airports because of flight delays. I think of the 100 million homeless across the globe. Suddenly I feel sorry for Jesus, who revealed to his disciples that he had nowhere to rest his head--not because of tough love but from a lack of love. I am glad Jesus continued to love us despite the trials we put him through. I guess that’s the step we all need to take to find our way back home.

Authors Patrice J. Tuohy

homelessness

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Time to shut the door on homelessness

28 Aug 2016 - Preaching the News for the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

This Sunday the psalmist reminds us that “God gives a home to the forsaken,” while Jesus encourages us to make room for the less fortunate with our hospitality: “When you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame ... .” The United States has a ways to go in fulfilling that mandate, according to recent research. The Homelessness Research Institute estimates that, if shelter and poverty rates remain constant, the number of homeless older adults will rise from approximately 44,000 in 2010 to about 59,000 in 2020, an increase of 33 percent. By 2050, the institute projects the senior homeless population could increase to nearly 95,000. Like their younger counterparts, the older adult homeless are high frequent users of emergency medical and other healthcare services. Studies have demonstrated that allowing an individual to remain chronically homeless can cost taxpayers as much as $50,000 annually. Preventing and ending homelessness among older adults must become a major national priority, says the Bipartisan Policy Center's Senior Health and Housing Task Force On another front, the Obama administration’s six-year effort to completely eradicate veteran homelessness has met half of its goal, reducing it by 47 percent. However, despite coordinated federal, state, and local efforts, 40,000 veterans are still homeless. The White House goal was to eradicate veteran homelessness over five years under an initiative known as Opening Doors, launched in 2010 and involving federal and state actors and nonprofit organizations and institutions. The administration spent $16 billion on the program, and increased the overall Veterans Affairs budget by 85 percent, according to the Washington Times. The strategy of the Opening Doors program was multi-faceted: It bolstered transitional and permanent housing but also provided services such as mental health, addiction service and chronic disease management, and gave housed veterans ways to avoid falling back into homelessness. VA and HUD programs have assisted more than 360,000 veterans get into housing or avoid becoming homeless, according to the White House. The goal faced obstacles, as 200,000 service members become veterans every year. Michelle Obama has led efforts to encourage mayors to take on vet homelessness at the local level. And it's working. Her initiative, aptly dubbed the Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness, has prompted hundreds of local officials to commit to effectively ending homelessness among those who've served. Since its launch two years ago, the challenge has done just that in 27 communities across the country, including Philadelphia, New Orleans, and Houston. Sometimes a small idea makes a big difference. Republican Mayor Richard Berry was driving around Albuquerque last year when he saw a man on a street corner holding a sign that read: “Want a Job. Anything Helps.” Throughout his administration, as part of a push to connect the homeless population to services, Berry had taken to driving through the city to talk to panhandlers about their lives. His city’s poorest residents told him they didn’t want to be on the streets begging for money, but they didn’t know where else to go. Seeing that sign gave Berry an idea. Instead of asking them, many of whom feel dispirited, to go out looking for work, the city could bring the work to them. Next month will be the first anniversary of Albuquerque’s There’s a Better Way program, which hires panhandlers for day jobs beautifying the city. In partnership with a local nonprofit that serves the homeless population, a van is dispatched around the city to pick up panhandlers who are interested in working. The job pays $9 an hour, which is above minimum wage, and provides a lunch. At the end of the shift, the participants are offered overnight shelter as needed. In less than a year since its start, the program has given out 932 jobs clearing 69,601 pounds of litter and weeds from 196 city blocks. And more than 100 people have been connected to permanent employment. Lessons drawn from the readings Jesus reminds us this Sunday that “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Rather than disdaining those who are homeless or panhandling, consider how desperate your situation would have to be to find yourself in such a position. No one “enjoys” spending the day on a street corner asking for crumbs from passersby. Be generous, in pocketbook and especially in heart, to people on the street. Final thought in light of the news There is a path to ending homelessness, if we are willing to commit the resources to it. The evidence is mounting (and has been for a while now) that the Housing First approach to homelessness is the way to go. The White House-backed strategy—which provides a person with a home, first and foremost, and then provides helpful services (as opposed to a person obtaining housing only if certain behavioral conditions are met beforehand)—is being adapted by more and more nonprofits and agencies across the country. Awareness is the key to ending homelessness. Project Sleep Out is an awareness event spearheaded by Ebenezer AME Church in Fort Washington, Maryland. Anywhere from 200 to 300 teens sleep under the stars for a night to learn what it feels like. All the teens receive from the church is a cardboard box.

homelessness homeless veterans

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