Ways to Build Community With Your Unhoused Neighbors

I want to share some ways I interact with individuals to build community with our neighbors experiencing homelessness. Creating genuine community and friendships with our unhoused neighbors can be life-changing on both ends. 

Here are some ways you start today:

Honor personal autonomy

It can be easy to look at someone in a challenging situation and think, "I would never do that." However, the first step to creating community is to honor the autonomy of our neighbors the way you would any friend, even if you think you would make different choices than they have.

Look beyond charity 

Looking to do good in the world and make a difference is a good start, but often that relationship can be transactional and one-sided. Unfortunately, too many people approach serving their homeless neighbors, believing that those neighbors are charity cases. A better way of creating a connection is to look for the humanity in someone experiencing homelessness by putting yourself in their shoes. This level of deep empathy often goes past preconceived notions and creates a sense of equality between you both. 

Create true friendship 

One of the stories I love is of Kelly & Thaddeus. Kelly is a volunteer, and Thaddeus is a guest she met while serving. Over time they formed a true friendship. Thaddeus's friendship with Kelly helped him find housing and recover from addiction, and Kelly's friendship with Thaddeus provided emotional support during a tough season of personal and family health issues. 

Some of the people I’ve met that have experienced homelessness are some of the strongest, most resilient people I’ve ever met. Friendship looks different for every person; I want to encourage you to try to create deeper connections that are authentic to you. 

-Josiah Haken