Who We Are

Programs & Services

Newsroom

Get Involved

Make A Gift

Homeless Curriculum

Sleep Out Saturday

Mentor Training

Scout Patch

Bridge Manual

Contact Us

630-545-0610 x 10 or
email Mark at: mlmilligan@sbcglobal.net

Getting Your Church to Sponsor an Apartment

Once you have recognized that the problem of homelessness exists, you might ask yourself how you and your church might get involved in being a part of the solution to this devastating problem. The following questions should be used to determine if transitional housing is an appropriate program in which your church should participate.

Does your community of faith have a history of outreach to the Community?

If it does, this may be an ideal way for you to expand that tradition. Does your church have a record of doing "hands-on" work like operating a food pantry, clothing bank, or a resale shop? Any of these activities would Indicate your church's possible interest in transitional housing.

Would a transitional housing program fit within the mission of your church?

There are two ways of helping people. You can spend a little bit of money on each of the people you help, let's say enough to feed them for one day or provide one night's shelter for a family at a motel. Or, you can spend a lot of money on one family, enough to really change that family's life. We like to equate this to giving a woman a fish or teaching that women to fish. In the first instance, when you give the family enough money for food for one day, what are they to do tomorrow? Will they come back to your church looking for more money for another day's food? In the second instance, when you really spend the money to change a family's life, they are far less apt to return looking for a way to solve another short-term crisis.

Most churches sponsor missions which lean heavily toward solving a short term crisis.

A healthier model might be to have some short term, crisis driven mission, along with a transitional housing program to provide long term, permanent solutions.

What are the most important first steps?

First, gather a small but dedicated group of people who believe in the work you are thinking about undertaking. The church needs a "champion" who will move the project forward, and the "champion of the project" needs a group of dedicated people to support her/him as she/he moves forward.

Second, educate the congregation about what homelessness looks like in your community, how it affects the families who become homeless, and what a transitional housing program can do.

How will we pay for this?

A transitional housing program is often the most expensive program a church has. The most important thing to remember is that it is possible for a congregation to raise the money if they are convinced the program is appropriate for the church. Worry about the money after the decision is made to move forward with this ministry to the homeless. The money will follow your good works.

Why should the church be doing this work instead of a local social service agency?

1. If homelessness still exists in your community, the resources within your community are unable to handle the whole job.
2. Most churches find that it is their responsibility to reach out to those living in poverty within their community.
3. This work will be good for the life of the local church, the mentors working with the families, and the team supporting the mentors.

The time spent prior to opening your first transitional housing apartment should be one of reflection, prayer and education. You should be thinking about what your responsibility to the poor in your community is, and praying about how you can best respond to that responsibility.