A few months ago, I wrote a pull-no-punches article about Gospel Rescue Missions and their outdated/harmful practices.

After it published, I received an invitation from a GRM to come & tour.

They’d been making changes & wanted my thoughts. The first change they made was big. They dropped mandatory chapel/worship. This is one of the primary “pray-to-stay” practices that GRMs have long been guilty of. This one still held chapel every night, but it was optional.

Guess how many still attended?

Someone told me recently about a church effort in their hometown where a network of churches take turns allowing a group of unhoused people to sleep at their church for one night, and then they pack up and go to a different church the next night.

I have some thoughts. My initial response, informed by years of talking to people who actually use services like this and trying to listen and internalize their experience, was, "Wow, that must be really hard on them to have to pack up every single night and constantly be on the move."

Addiction is NOT a moral failure.

When researchers sought to understand why some seem more susceptible to addiction while others can drink, take opioids, gamble, etc. but not get addicted, they found the far and away #1 correlation:

Multiple childhood traumas. Childhood trauma so directly correlated to substance use disorders later that it astounded the researchers.

For comparison: the link between childhood trauma and addiction is STRONGER than the link between obesity and heart disease--a link so well-known we take it for granted.

Regarding Tyre Nichols and the race of the officers who killed him. *TW/CW, but no details of violence*

You will see arguments that the officers being black discredits that racism is at play.

It actually does the opposite, showing that the problem is policing itself.

A story: The homelessness org I worked for in LA prided itself on harm reduction, one aspect being that sobriety was not a prerequisite to services. You could come in drunk, as long as you were safe. We didn’t ask, test, or search anyone. Then came the pandemic…

One of our biggest obstacles to understanding and addressing addiction is that we believe people have to get clean/sober so they can get their life back together.

Actually, the opposite is true: people get clean/sober when they are supported in getting their life back together. People very often use substances and alcohol to numb or escape a life that isn’t the way it should be or they want it to be. And our response is always to make their lives worse: ultimatums, incarceration, isolation, scorn.

One of the reasons I chose to write a book about a "Christian Call to End Homelessness" is because for 100 yrs, the predominant Christian voice on homelessness has been Gospel Rescue Missions.

This is an issue, because GRMs are *extremely* problematic. Let's talk about it. Of course, GRMs were some of the first to the frontlines of homelessness a century ago. They sought to help, which is good! In lieu of other resources at the time, they were filling a gap.

From their onset, though, they misdiagnosed the problem and have never wavered.

Let’s talk a little more about eviction, shall we?

One of the reasons that I argue eviction is evil (and unchristian #) is the way the system is and has always been tilted in favor of landlords. Take this for example:

kstp.com/kstp-news/top-… During COVID, the justice system began doing court virtually. Something they noticed? HUGE upswing in turnout! Of course we knew this but didn’t care: showing up to court (or even knowing you have to) is a huge barrier for people in poverty. For evictions, this was SO important.

A lot of new followers here from the Narcan thread, so I wanted to introduce myself again.

Welcome! The main thing you should know about me is that I’m committed to ending homelessness, and I’m a person of faith. I wrote a book about this intersection: a.co/d/4siAIgz Many of you may not be people of faith, and that’s ok! I’m not going to try and evangelize you, and I’m not going to berate you with Bible verses. I’m LGBTQIA+ affirming, no caveats.

But I also understand if your history/trauma means you can’t handle any of it, and that’s ok.

I administered Narcan to someone overdosing on my way to the movies tonight.

When the EMS arrived, I let them know, both the number of doses and how long ago so they could take over care.

As he walked away, he said under his breath, “People shouldn’t have that shit.” When I tell you that the majority of this country thinks that people who use drugs should just die… believe me. Because I’ve seen it over and over and over again. And I hear it the most from cops and EMTs.

This morning around 7am, with the weather below 50 degrees, one of Minneapolis’ largest unhoused encampments awoke to dozens of officers and several garbage trucks arriving without warning to demolish their home and everything they have. 🧵 Police blocked off three blocks in every direction to prevent any assistance or media from getting near. I only got this close (still a block away) because I live here.

Shelters are full. Housing waitlists are miles long. This is no outcome here but cruelty.

The way evangelicals shame/obligate traumatized ppl into church attendance reminds me of how many homeless services ignore the expressed needs of unhoused ppl.

It’s always “what’s wrong with you that you aren’t coming” and never “what’s wrong with us that you don’t stay.” This truth is for churches and homeless services alike:

If you actually offered something that contributed to wholeness and flourishing, you wouldn’t have to coerce/trick/shame people into coming.

"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."

Raise your hand if you ever heard a sermon on this passage where the pastor claimed that "the eye of a needle" was the name of an actual gate in Jerusalem. The sermon usually goes on to say that it was a narrow gate, and that the camel has to bow down to get through it. The interpretation becomes, "You can be rich, you just have to bow to God instead of wealth."

One problem: it's completely false.

When I was a barista, the rudest I've ever been treated was by a Christian.

He came in and ordered a "vanilla macchiato." Starbucks has conditioned people to think of a macchiato as a large, sweet drink, but at traditional shops it's a very small, strong espresso drink... ...so when people ordered it (especially when they also specified a flavor), I try to make sure it's what they want.

"Hey just so you know..." I explained it, like I had a million times to different customers.

He gruffly replied, "How about you just give me what I asked for."

Dave Ramsey has, for his whole career, made his camp (and his profit) in the underbelly of the prosperity gospel.

While Osteen preached, “God blesses with riches,” Ramsey bet on the flip-side: that a generation of people would fear poverty as a sign of punishment. He sold the way out of poverty and into God’s favor, modern-day indulgences, a shame-diet for your wallet.

For this grift you work, you *have* to believe that poverty is avoidable through moral discipline, and that whoever *is* poor deserves it.

We all pay the price for our carceral response to homelessness. This is why you can’t find a restroom in urban areas without spending money, or a water fountain. When we choose to make the poor miserable, we all become more miserable. Our humanity is linked. As this is getting around, I’d love if those who want to know more would read this piece I wrote about the sweep at Echo Park Lake. (CW: it’s from a faith perspective.) nationsmedia.org/echo-park-lake/

I don’t know who needs to hear this but athletes literally don’t owe you anything. Crap, does this mean I owe Kevin Durant an apology?

A Thread about this Deconstruction Drama:

I think an important reality of deconstruction that needs to be acknowledged is that everyone is deconstructing a faith that was *given to* us, or sometimes *forced upon* us, but either way, we didn't build it, but are left with it. The reason this is important is because what we were all left with is different, and none of it is anyone's fault. So for some who were gently and graciously given a version of faith that needed some renovation, some tearing down, but there was a good foundation, it's easy for...

TW/CW: Police Violence

The next time you're wondering if your city should spend money on police to do "Homeless Outreach," just know that it's a lie. They just want money to do what they do, which is to harass, criminalize, and murder people of color.

ktla.com/news/local-new… It's not clear whether the man who is killed here is a person experiencing homelessness. What is clear is that these deputies deliberately and intentionally targeted him for harassment, and tried to initiate an arrest for a ticket-able offense. This is terrorism.