When it comes to the attempt to combat homelessness, the American church is far from silent. When we look like the mission of Jesus which is, in turn, the mission of the vast majority of churches, we see a large emphasis to love one another and serve one’s community with both their time and finances. In 1 Corinthians, it evens goes as far as to say,” No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.” a follower of Jesus not only sees helping the homelessness as a “way to give back”, but also as a way of life and a calling. An extremely influential modern Christian thinker Francis Chan said this, “when life is hard and you are doubtful, give more.”
Americans give the church about 82 billion dollars every year and based on a few different budgets that I was able to find, abut 20 percent of that money is used to help individuals in some way. Whether or no you agree with the percentage allowed, that is still 4.5 billion dollars every year being used to help families and people in need.
Not only do churches have a lot of financial resources but they also have a large connection of people willing to help. In 2013, a gallop poll estimate that 38 percent of Americans go to church in some capacity, while that number is shrinking every yeat, this is a still a huge group of people. With both the manpower and financial backing, all 330,000 physical church location has impacted and fought homelessness for decades. With programs like food banks and job placement ministries, churches take the call to look after the poor quite seriously.
These churches also often partner with FBO (faith-based operations) nonprofits. Baylor University recently did a study that found at 60% of all emergency homeless shelters are provided by faith-based operations, and the majority of these FBOs (62%) receive no governmental funding which provided an incredible service for our country funded primarily by the church and people within it.
Regardless of an individual’s opinion of Christianity and faith-based establishment or the way in which they use their finances, these communities offer incredibly valuable resources for people struggling with homelessness and foodlessness.
Resources
1. Church-Based Resources and Homelessness
2. FBO Homeless Shelter
3. Survey of Homeless Assistance Partners
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