Church Sells Window to Keep Shelter Doors Open

by Shannon Moriarty · 2009-12-23 20:30:00 UTC
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A small church in Brattleboro, Vermont is learning the hard way that desperate times call for desperate measures. With fledgling funds, the congregation faced a difficult decision: cut off services to the homeless, or sell an invaluable piece of church history?

ABC News reported last night that members of the church have chosen to part with a valuable Tiffany's stained glass window that has been displayed in the church for over 100 years. They believe selling the artwork will raise $75,000, all of which will support keeping the doors to the church's shelter to open to the area's homeless population.

The need for their community homeless shelter is greater than ever; in the past year, the number of families and individuals at the shelter have more than quadrupled, according to church officials. Though the money is supporting an important cause, it does not make parting with such an important piece of church history any easier.

In many ways, the church's difficult decision is not unlike the those faced by families and individuals who exhaust every possible option before ending up on the streets. It's heartbreaking and it's wrong and no person - or church - should ever have to experience it.

This story is enormously frustrating. Why must a small Vermont church struggle to hold its community's safety net together -- even selling its most valuable possession -- while there seem to be endless streams of money for Wall Street execs? If there is any ray of light in this story, it is the good, decent people who made the difficult decision to sell the church's window. Their selfless actions valued people over possessions; something we can all gain a lesson or two from.

Still - $75,000 won't sustain an emergency shelter forever. And this isn't the only shelter operating on a shoestring budget. When we ring in the new year, let us also renew our commitment to eliminating the need for safety nets by supporting policies that tackle the root causes of homelessness.

Image: Vermont Public Radio

Shannon Moriarty has worked in various homeless shelters and service organizations around the country. She is a graduate student studying housing and urban policy at Tufts University.
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