World Homeless Day: 7 ways Christians can respond to the crisis

In 2010 Ed Walker had recently returned to the UK after working for many years with Tearfund in Africa. He was in his local park with his daughter when he met a man sitting on a bench who was homeless after just being discharged from prison.  The man had nowhere to go because he had no one to go to.

From that park bench Ed could see the spires and towers of many local churches and this prompted him to ask: what could the Church in this city do about homelessness? He was inspired by Isaiah 58:5

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen? To loose the chains of injustice, provide food for the hungry and the poor wanderer with shelter?”

When he received an inheritance shortly afterwards, Ed and his wife Rach decided to use this money to buy a house for people who were homeless. From this seed, Hope into Action was born. 

14 years on, we now have 117 homes across the country and won numerous awards for our innovative approach.  In 2022, Ed was awarded an MBE for services to address homelessness.

Financial capital

Hope into Action has a unique approach which blends the financial capital of investors with the social and spiritual capital of local churches.

Since Ed started the ball rolling, we have attracted over £29m worth of investment which has bought houses all over the UK.  Instead of just leaving it ‘buried in a field’, our investors chose to invest their capital to work for social benefit. This is not a donation but an investment for a minimum of 5 years and which pays a return of up to 2%.

Therefore, Hope in Action don’t just have a ministry to those affected by poverty, we also have a ministry to people with wealth. Jesus spoke so much about money and we escape his challenge to use it for kingdom purposes.

Social and spiritual capital

And every Hope into Action house is partnered with a local church. This social and spiritual investment is what turns our houses into homes. Our staff provide professional support and churches provide friendship and connection to the local community.

Based on what Hope into Action has learnt over the last 14 years, these are our 7 tips on how Christians should respond to homelessness.

1.Recognise the UK’s severe homelessness crisis.  Rough sleeping has risen by 27% and 28% in the last 2 years but this is just the visible tip of the homelessness iceberg.  There are more people in emergency temporary accommodation than since records began.  Housing is increasingly unaffordable and there is a chronic lack of social housing.  Adding our voice to campaigns run by organisations like Shelter is a vital way to advocate for more investment in housing.

2. Grasp God’s heart for people affected by homelessness. The Bible is full of God’s concern for the poor and the early church in Acts showed a deep commitment to eliminating need by sharing what they had for mutual benefit.  If your church does not know people who are affected by poverty and homelessness then you are missing out a fundamental aspect of Christ’s calling. As Paul writes:

“All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along” (Galatians  2:10).

3. Work collaboratively.  Addressing homelessness requires collaboration.  Its far better to channel our faith and vision into work which dovetails well with existing services and charities in the area rather than duplicating what already exists.  Talk to your local council’s housing team, turn up to local homelessness forums and speak with other charities  to find out what is most needed locally.

4. Take Action! There are many different models for how your church can get involved, such as a drop in centre, a community meal, a night shelter or open a house with Hope into Action. The organisation Housing Justice run a befriending scheme called Citadel and a project called Faith in Affordable Housing.  Contact Hope into Action if you are interested in our approach and book into our big annual conference on 12^th March 2025.

5. Remember, homelessness ends in community.  Addressing homelessness is more than providing accommodation.  We are relational beings and people need to establish positive relationships with others around them.  The best thing about the church is that it is a community of mutual relationships all based on a message which can transform someone’s identity.  The church has something very distinctive and special to offer.

6. Remember the importance of grace and truth.  Showing love to people affected by homelessness is not always easy. We need to remember that Jesus was full of both grace and truth (John 1:14).  If we just focus on grace through being accepting and kind then this can be naïve and can cause many complications.  We need to balance this with an emphasis on also being truthful and honest with those we are seeking to help.  This combination can be transformative. For more see this article.

7. Stay distinctive.  There are too many charities that ‘used to be Christian’ in the homelessness sector.  This is tragic as the gospel of Jesus is so relevant to the issues that affect homeless people.  Of course we should never impose our faith on vulnerable people but we should be confident that helping people know God’s love is the best thing we can offer. Last year 69% of Hope into Action tenants wanted prayer and 16 were baptized or made a similar formal commitment of faith in Christ.

Christians have made a huge contribution to addressing homelessness in the UK. Let’s go deeper to put our faith into action to provide more ‘poor wanderers with shelter’. We can make a difference to those who are suffering in our wealthy, but deeply needy, nation.

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For more on the impact of Hope into Action’s work this year, watch this short video: