Why we should be concerned about Homelessness - Natasha Giddens
Understanding the issue of Homelessness
Homelessness is a problem that grips our society and in a country that is developed and has a wealthy economy it should be disturbing to us that we cannot seem to find shelter for everyone, a basic human need that should be fulfilled. I grew up in Cambridge where homelessness is a huge issue; in 2018 it was estimated that there were 159 rough sleepers in the city1, so it was something I was seeing on a regular basis. Yet because it was something I would walk past every day on my way to school, I started to find it easier and easier to ignore. I never stopped for a minute and thought about ways I could offer some help. When I moved to university, I was struck by the number of homeless there are in Bristol and this caused me to not want to ignore this issue any longer and to learn more.
We can get very distracted in our everyday tasks and this makes it easy for us to pass these people on the streets without thinking too much of it. Or we can talk ourselves out of approaching them, always being able to come up with an excuse. How do we get out of this habit? Researching, listening to people’s stories, and understanding the situation more can help us be moved into compassion for these people. A lot of the time the blame can fall onto the homeless and a common perception can be that the cause of homelessness is personal failings. But if we have this viewpoint, we will lack motivation to offer help. Doing some research I have found that the causes of homelessness are a mix of both structural factors, such as a lack of affordable housing; and individual factors, such as relationship breakdown and domestic abuse2.
How does being a Christian affect this?
In the Lord’s prayer we say, “your kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10). Part of this prayer is us asking God to restore everything on this Earth and we know he will do this one day when Jesus returns. However, God does not want us to sit around and do nothing until that day comes, we should also be seeking to answer this prayer ourselves to further Gods kingdom now. God is saddened and hurt by the injustices on this Earth and has unfailing love for everyone, and so to bring his kingdom closer to us we should start seeking to restore injustices now and show compassion to all people.
Jesus is the perfect example of this. In John 9: 1-12 we see Jesus heal a man who was born blind. He explains to his disciples that he is “doing the works of him who sent me” (verse 4). He does not hesitate to help this man; he instantly has compassion on him. Jesus knew that everything he was doing on earth was to be to done to glorify the Father and to live out his work. God also wants to use us in his restoration plan and wants us to reveal his kingdom on Earth. When we help others and show compassion to them, we are bringing Gods kingdom closer.
What can I do?
This can seem very overwhelming - it is a huge issue, where do we even start? I’m not an expert on this and still have a long way to go in researching and learning the best ways we can be helping, but here are a few things I have thought of so far: Doing research into the causes of homelessness and understanding how serious the situation is can really help us to want to start taking action. Once we understand the situation more it will be less easy for us to pass the homeless without stopping. We can also investigate local organisations around us who are tackling these issues where we can volunteer or donate. For example, every year in many cities, churches will open their doors to rough sleepers, providing them with food and shelter. They are always looking for volunteers to help with this.
We need to remember that God wants to use us now for action to reveal himself to others. Jesus brought a taste of Gods kingdom down to Earth by showing compassion to all those suffering or who needed his help and everything he did in his life he did to glorify the Father, so he is the perfect example for us. We will not be able to end homelessness any time soon and it is a very complex issue, but the more we can help and show compassion and the more we get involved we will be taking a huge step in the right direction.
