Five things to know about our neighbors experiencing homelessness

We know it isn’t always easy to understand the right thing to say or do when interacting with our homeless neighbors. Our CEO, Josiah Haken, put together some key takeaways based on his experiences that can be great tools for us all. 

1. Sometimes, all you can say is, “I’m sorry.”

When someone is detailing the challenges that have led them to a place of homelessness, sometimes there really isn’t much to say other than, “I’m sorry,” and that is okay. 

2. Helping someone is not about a return on investment.

We emulate Jesus by ascribing worth to the worthless, hope to the hopeless, and mercy to the merciless, regardless of what they do with it along the way.

3. Our homeless neighbors are not a problem to be solved.

What we think about homelessness matters; if we rush to assumptions, we miss the opportunity to engage with and learn from the child of God right in front of us.

4. Homelessness is not a state of being.

We must consider how we talk about people to change how we interact with them. As long as we think our homeless neighbors are more “homeless” than “neighbors”, we will treat them like an issue to be addressed instead of a person to be loved.

5. Loving our neighbors is not a cherry on our theological sundae.

We believe Isaiah 58 is not simply an addition to our faith but a call to every Christian.

We hope these serve as helpful reminders as we work together to better serve those experiencing homelessness.