Homelessness in Christianity
Guest speaker - Dany Fischer
The Christian call to end homelessness
What causes homelessness?
What are solutions to homelessness?
Is there a societal obligation to care for the homeless?
What should we do?
Cost/availability of housing:
Spending 30% of your income on housing = housing burdened
55% of columbia is housing burdened
Columbia has no public housing
Average age of homelessness: 11
Social barriers that create homelessness:
Racism
Prison system
Evictions
What are solutions to homelessness?
Merit-based housing
Current style of care plans
Christian origins
Requires sobriety, continuous improvement
Housing first
Simpler, give housing first
Cheaper to give housing than to provide healthcare
Community is the number one indicator of success in permanent housing
Is there a societal obligation to care for the homeless?
Role of the Church vs the government:
Government - consistent necessities
Church - consistent community (with no requirements)
Jeremiah 29:7 “Work for the peace and prosperity for the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for it’s welfare will determine your welfare.”
Not bettering your community. Not bettering yourself. Not bettering other people. Just grace.
Resources:
“Grace Can Lead Us Home” by Kevin Nye
This book was released in 2022, and looks at Christian efforts to end and understand homelessness. Recommended to anyone seeking to learn more about compassion in general, not just Christian compassion.
https://lovecolumbia.org/homeless-resources
Love Columbia does a fantastic job at compiling homeless resources on their website. For many, it is the first step toward getting help. If you’re interested in learning more about the efforts all across Columbia (not just Love Columbia) this is the site for you.
https://lovecolumbia.org/landing-housing They also have lots of information about housing, including an infographic to give to your landlord on why they should accept housing vouchers!
“582,462 and Counting” by The New York Times
The annual point in time count, a way of measuring the amount of people that are experiencing homelessness in the United States, took place a few weeks ago. This article is a fantastic snapshot of why this count is perhaps the worst possible way to count the unhoused, and the impact that has on communities.
David Webber’s articles for The Columbia Missourian
David Webber is a professor last year, and is one of the foremost people living what we discussed today. He shows genuine compassion and grace to the unhoused people in Columbia, especially the ones that many would rather not deal with. He consistently writes articles for the Missourian about his experience. Read more of them if you’re interested in learning about specific people and experiences in Columbia.