Fixing Homelessness: Not Just About Money
Have you ever noticed that people have a tendency to see symptoms and think fixing the symptoms is the same as curing the cause?
We are in a culture of “easy fixes.” We look for fast solutions and we are fast to place blame. The consequences often involve exasperation of the problem. Homelessness is no different.
Recently MSN released an opinion piece about Homelessness that points to the cost of housing, the availability of housing, and the continuing homeless crisis. The article calls for money in the form of government funding to fix the problem.
Sadly, the article mistakes the symptom for the disease. The truth is that homelessness isn’t usually just a money issue. Nearly always, persons who remain homeless long-term have underlying issues that go beyond the financial. It may be addiction. It may be mental illness. It almost never can be fixed with money alone.
Many who offer care to the homeless know of homeless friends who have access to housing but who struggle to manage in traditional living. All of us know many with addiction and/or acute mental health issues.
We are bringing this to light for the sake of clarity. There is no question that financial resources are a big help when it comes to remedying the homeless crisis in the United States, but it is naive to assume that this problem can be fixed with money.
Currently, our country is facing a variety of issues that don’t seem to go together. We have plenty of jobs and we have plenty of houses. Yet, we still have issues with high unemployment and large numbers of homeless friends. The solution isn’t simple.
What does a solution look like?
Sometimes I like to reflect on all the support I’ve been blessed with over the years. I have family that gave me tough love when I needed it. I have friends that gave me rides when I had car trouble. People at church gave me a job when I needed it. People who love me call me up to encourage me now and then. More than all this, God got a hold of my life! Jesus redeemed me. He took away my heart of stone and gave me a heart that beats for Him.
The root of the issue is relational, relationships with God and relationships with others. Our homeless friends need financial and material resources, but that only fixes the symptom and it only fixes it for a while. Long-term solutions involve relationships, and at the center is Christ, the gospel of Christ’s atoning death and resurrection, His life transforming new birth, and the fellowship that comes with it.
This is why our long-term plan involves community. We don’t just want to give houses to our homeless friends, we want to provide a network of community at Hope Farm, Inc. We want to provide job opportunities and family with the faithful proclamation of the gospel.
Pray for us and our homeless friends.
-Hope Farm, Inc.
