Clockwise: collecting the gleanings from the harvest, the good samaritan, the prodigal son In a recent article, I wrote about the old, battered bible I bought in 1993, the first year I started working with people who were homeless. It was an anecdotal and subjective piece focussed on how this book has been a companion… Continue reading Roots & fruits: why so many homelessness charities were set up by churches
Category: Homelessness
‘A light to my path’: my battered, 32 year old working companion
In 1993, I was in my second year studying social work at Hull University. I had just read Ron Sider’s book Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger which relentlessly emphasises how much poverty and social injustice are core themes in the bible. It gave me further reason to question why many of the Christians… Continue reading ‘A light to my path’: my battered, 32 year old working companion
Facing the tragic cost of homelessness
Today is World Homeless Day and this week it was announced that 1611 people died homeless in the last year in the UK. It is a tragic statistic which exposes the raw human cost of homelessness. A reality that shames our society. Crisis Behind every statistic is a story of a son, daughter, brother, sister,… Continue reading Facing the tragic cost of homelessness
The kind of leadership needed to end homelessness
Photo by Timur Weber on Pexels.com Yesterday, the Minister for Homelessness, Rushanara Ali resigned after media reports emerged that she evicted tenants from a property she owned and then sought to re-let the property with rents increased by £700 a month. She stood accused of profiteering off the backs of tenants - the very thing… Continue reading The kind of leadership needed to end homelessness
The path less travelled (& what we can learn from younger people)
Ethan Malcolm is a 22 year old student who decided earlier this year to take up the challenge to walk the entire length of the country, from Land’s End to John O’Groats. He doing it to raise funds for Hope into Action and is aiming to cover the 12oo miles in 60 days. Hope into… Continue reading The path less travelled (& what we can learn from younger people)
The best reason for keeping Christian distinctiveness
Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com I bet everyone reading this knows a charity or community project which was started by the church, but which over time lost its connection with the faith which birthed it. When you dig into the history of so many charities, whether related to children, youth work, older people,… Continue reading The best reason for keeping Christian distinctiveness
Fatherlessness & homelessness – by Mark Wood
giselaatje from pixabay It feels like suddenly, everyone is talking about boys and the malign influences they are under. The success of the Netflix drama Adolescence has given the issue global profile and Gareth Southgate’s excellent Dimbleby lecture added to this. The recent Lost Boys report by the Centre for Social Justice highlights the disparity… Continue reading Fatherlessness & homelessness – by Mark Wood
Restorers of Hope: conference March 12th
The UK faces a homelessness and poverty crisis, made up of many different problems: Resources: the lack of affordable housing, debt, rising cost of living. Relationships: abuse, mistrust, family breakdown, loneliness, isolation. Identity: meaninglessness, low self-esteem, mental ill-health, addictions. We need a hope strong enough to respond to all three of these challenges. Hope into Action works with churches… Continue reading Restorers of Hope: conference March 12th
Bringing burdens to the foot of the cross
Photo by Brett Sayles on Pexels.com On a freezing night this week, we opened up our church for our first community meal of the New Year. It was a quieter night than usual, but sometimes less can be more. Our aim to provide ‘food, connection and community’ and whilst fewer guests means less food is… Continue reading Bringing burdens to the foot of the cross
“If you charge me, I’m going to bring 50 homeless people here to eat the meal I have paid for”
A few Christmases ago, when I was running a homeless charity in the West End of London, we took a phone call from a businessman that I will never forget. He was due to host a major Christmas event for 50 colleagues and clients in a prestigious local member’s club. A number of guests were… Continue reading “If you charge me, I’m going to bring 50 homeless people here to eat the meal I have paid for”
Grace + Truth 