Introducing: Homeless but Human

Mother Teresa said, _"Many people talk about the homeless, but few talk to them." _Our desire is to educate even more people to understand the complexity of homelessness and to discover practical and relational solutions for real change. Join us as we answer common questions and hesitations about serving the poor. You’ll also have an opportunity to listen to the homeless and have a window into their lives.

Our experience has proven that the deepest poverty of homelessness is sown in the heart long before someone becomes homeless. It’s an all-encompassing experience of being unknown, unloved, and unwanted. Society typically provides shelter, food, and other important, basic needs, but even these resources don’t seem to be enough to solve the deeper issue of homelessness. It’s not ONLY a problem of not having a house, money, or clean clothes. The root of the homelessness is ruptured relationships.

Because of this, Christ in the City missionaries walk regular street routes to encounter the homeless. They spend time learning people’s names and stories and return day after day. Over time, these encounters lead to genuine friendships, and trust is built. The disarming power of eye contact and a genuine smile could be all it takes to restore someone's hope in humanity and begin their journey toward healing.

We know it’s not comfortable to initiate a conversation with a homeless person you don’t know, especially at first. But you shouldn’t have to feel uncomfortable or confused about how to help.

That’s why, each year, the Christ in the City team reaches 17,000 people across the country with an approach that gets people out of the pews and into the streets to encounter their fellow man, seeing a person to be loved not a problem to be fixed. In that way, we can treat the root cause of homelessness, recognizing the deeper crisis of relationship, and treating it with the love and hope that comes from meaningful encounters and intentional friendships. What the homeless actually need is you.

Just imagine— the impact it would make if that homeless person you pass had even just one friend who knew them by name and cared about them beyond just a passing handout. What difference would that make to that person, to you, and to your local community? And if more people joined together in this mission— what difference would we make to the world?