Faith-Based Organizations Must Reinforce Our Safety Net

by Shannon Moriarty · 2009-10-22 19:38:00 UTC
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As the negative effects of our economic woes continue to trickle down in the form of lay-offs and evictions, our nation's homeless prevention and shelter system will continue to shoulder the ever-increasing burdens of meeting rising demand with declining resources. Faith based organizations - with their philanthropic interests, human and financial capital, and ability to mobilize quickly - are needed now more than ever to reinforce our social service safety net.

Virginia Beach, like many other cities across the country, does not have enough shelter beds to meet the needs of the city's homeless. Pilot Online detailed how 30 or so people sleep in the seaside porticos of a church each night because the shelters are filled. Even more people sleep in cars around town. As the weather cools and winter approaches, local advocates worry that demand will increase even more.

Indeed, this concern is being echoed in communities across the country. In the event of a full-fledged crisis this winter, it is unlikely that government money will be able to meet the need. Case in point: it has taken months for the Recovery Act funds to trickle down from the federal government to communities and from communities to the people who need assistance. So what's the answer?

One possibility is faith-based organizations. Why? Many churches have little/no bureaucratic red tape, structures in which to provide shelter, financial and human capital, and a propensity to serve. The combination of these assets might just be the safety net reinforcement needed to save lives during potential homelessness crisis that many predict is awaiting us this winter.

Image: mudpig

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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