Homelessness and relationships
Four years ago, my friend and former colleague Simon Dwight wrote a powerful article for Grace+Truth titled Homelessness Ends in Community.
He shared a moving example of helping a man called James move from long-term street homelessness into accommodation.
It sounds like a success story but actually it had a tragic outcome. Just a few weeks later James died in isolation, separated from those who cared for him and all alone. It took 2 weeks for anyone to realise James had died when neighbours complained about the smell coming from his flat.
Influential
Simon’s article was re-posted on a number of other websites and proved to be influential. Simon was working as a government rough sleeping adviser at the time and would later gain a PhD for his study into homelessness and relationships.
Dr Simon now works in the USA as CEO of Homeward Bound WNC in North Carolina. Last year, he wrote this in the prestigious Stanford Social Innovation Review in an article titled Community Beyond Resources:
“People experiencing homelessness need someone to stand beside them—with honesty, belief, and consistent presence. At Hope into Action, for example, a UK charity that partners with churches to provide housing and relational support, volunteers are trained not to fix people, but to walk with them: to offer friendship, challenge, presence, and hope. It’s not about sympathy, but solidarity.”
And he referred to the relevance of both grace and truth:
“Faith-based nonprofit leader Jon Kuhrt has written about finding a balance of kindness and honesty, grace and truth, for years on his Grace + Truth blog. As he puts it, grace without truth can feel indulgent, while truth without grace can be harsh. But together, they build the kind of accountability and dignity people need to grow.”
Hope into Action conference
Simon’s phrase Homelessness Ends in Community is the theme for this year’s Hope into Action national conference.
And we have chosen this because we know that homelessness is more than houselessness. The loss of accommodation is often accompanied by the trauma of broken relationships and damage to someone’s sense of identity. Homelessness means being disconnected and uprooted.
Hope into Action’s approach to ending homelessness recognises this. It’s why every one of our houses is partnered with a local church who offer friendship and community to our tenants. Accommodation is vital – but so are relationships and a sense of connection with others. We firmly believe homelessness ends in community.
Our keynote speakers are Krish Kandiah OBE (theologian, activist and author) and Ed Walker MBE (the inspirational founder of Hope into Action) will explore our roots as an organisation and the core Christian principles that underpin our work. Our tenants will share their stories and there will also be a wide range of inspiring seminars about how we stay rooted in hope and help others find those roots too.
The Hope into Action conference is for volunteers, church leaders, professionals, investors and anyone interested in how the church can respond to the UK’s homelessness crisis. Please come along!
Book your ticket: Annual Conference 2026 – 20th May | Hope into Action UK
Want to put your faith into action to help end homelessness? Hope into Action also have some key jobs that we are recruiting to at the moment, including a Finance Manager and a Team Leader for our work in Nottingham. Please see here for details: Jobs at Hope into Action
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