Articles

Congregations Can Help End Homelessness
By Ambassadors James T. Laney and Andrew Young

Faith And The City Newsletter
Volume 4 Issue 1
Winter/Spring 2004

Atlanta is the nation's fifth "meanest" city for people who are homeless, according to a report issued in August 2003 by the National Coalition for the Homeless.

Whether or not you agree, there is a more important point: The Atlanta multi-county metro community today has the opportunity to end homelessness, much of it virtually overnight, and to prevent homelessness in the future. The first goal can be achieved with bold action by our faith communities -- and the second through broad public support for recommendations by the Commission on Homelessness.

Our metro community includes 6,000 to 12,000 men, women, and children who are victims of homelessness -- and it boasts an estimated 5,000 religious congregations. Suppose every congregation "adopted" one homeless person or family -- or pooled resources with another congregation to do so. Suppose congregants gave their time and other resources to help these neighbors get back on their feet.

More than 40 area organizations already are assisting homeless people in this way through the Families First Shelter A Family program. This initiative has helped approximately 500 persons transition from homelessness into homes of their own and pursue self-sufficiency. Consider what we could accomplish as a community with thousands of congregations engaged in this manner.

Shelter A Family is one of 29 initiatives recommended by the Blueprint to End Homelessness in Atlanta in Ten Years and one of seven designated for immediate support. The Blueprint is a report developed by the Commission on Homelessness, organized in December 2002 by the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta at the request of Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin. In March 2003, the Commission submitted its report, which reflects the mayor's insistence that solving the problem of homelessness requires shared responsibility between homeless people and the larger society. In her request to the United Way, the mayor wrote:

[T]he homeless are people who should be treated both with compassion and a sense of accountability. The homeless have a personal responsibility to overcome their current situation, and at the same time we as a society have an equal obligation to make sure that services are available to assist the homeless in making the transition to self-reliance. Unfortunately, for too long society has not done its part.

Accordingly, the Blueprint to End Homelessness takes into account both personal responsibility and society's responsibility. It also recognizes homelessness as a regional community issue that demands partnership across jurisdictional, organizational, ideological, and faith lines. In short, the Blueprint affords the best opportunity we have ever had to improve the quality of life for our neediest neighbors. Communities of faith and the population in general should vigorously support the Blueprint's recommendations.

Our various faith traditions call us to help our neighbors in need. Let's stop infighting over exactly how to do it and start working together to end homelessness in our metro community.

Rev. Dr. Laney and Rev. Young are the founding co-chairs of Faith And The City. Laney serves as a member of the Commission on Homelessness.


Selected Articles from FATC Newsletter on Homelessness
Congregations Can Help End Homelessness
Special Report: A Day in the Life of a Homeless Person
Blueprint to End Homelessness: Seven-Point Plan Recommendations
Interfaith Group Build Houses for Families, Bridges for Community
Shelter A Family: Lighting the Path from Homelessness to Self-Sufficiency
Atlanta Community Court: Alternatives to Jailing the Homeless
Who are the Homeless? Highlights of the Tri-Jurisdictional Survey
Download pdf of Faith And The City Newsletter on Homelessness