It is Sabbath to End Homelessness Weekend at Central. We observe this weekend every year in cooperation with Align Minneapolis, which is a coalition of 18 interfaith congregations working to end homelessness in Minneapolis. I often have people ask, “What do you mean by ending homelessness?” This goal sounds lofty and out of touch with reality.
If you can imagine, becoming homeless is like entering a room. The room is filled with other people who are experiencing homelessness. There are doors leading into the room and doors for exiting the room. We end homelessness, not by believing that no one will ever enter the room, but by making sure people are exiting the room faster than people are entering it. We end homelessness by making sure folks keep their housing. Providing rental assistance, stabilization services, and food assistance are all ways we keep people from becoming homeless. We end homelessness by getting people into housing that is new to them. We need enough deeply affordable housing so that there is space for everyone to have their own home. The shorter amount of time people are homeless the more likely they are to get a new place and to stay in housing when they get it. We end homelessness by making sure people only have one experience of homelessness. The shorthand for these points is that we need to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring.
We hear from Jesus this weekend that by our endurance we will gain our souls. While this moment might feel bleak, we cannot lose hope or momentum. Our siblings who experience homelessness need us more than ever to come alongside them. They are the ones experiencing the brunt of decisions and rhetoric. If we can help them bear the weight while also helping to clear the hurdles, then we won’t have as many people out here in the streets. We know that Jesus has promised to be with us, to bring us all healing, and to raise all of us.
Shalom,
Pastor Melissa