The numbers are in and once again Oregon ranked as one of the four worst states in the union for homelessness. You would think things would be getting better after our governor declared a homeless state of emergency two years ago and increased spending on the Housing First strategy. And if it didn’t get better, you would think that Oregon might change course and try something new. But sadly it’s business as usual when it comes to homeless polices and strategies and it looks like there won’t be any real solutions anytime soon in Oregon.
At the federal level the new administration seems to realize when it comes to homelessness, business as unusual isn’t a good idea. In seeking to eliminate government waste they have closed the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). The USICH was charged with setting homeless policies like Housing First, Rapid Rehousing, and Low Barrier Sheltering as well as coordinating the federal response to homelessness amongst government agencies. In addition to this, the new administration has greatly reduced staff at Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the agency that provides funding to nonprofits that carry out their directives.
With that said, it isn’t clear how this will all shake out for our community. But one thing is clear, our state and the federal government are no longer in lockstep with one another on what the issues are and what the solutions should be.
You may be wondering how all this uncertainty will effect the Mission and our efforts to reach the lost and gather the reached in Southern Oregon.
Financially it won’t effect us at all because we don’t take government funding of any kind. Rather we exist simply through the generous donations from churches, businesses, and people like you here in our community.
Probably there will be a greater divide between us and other nonprofits as they continue to double down on the Housing First agenda. Possibly other nonprofits will see us as competition as they scramble to fill their funding gap left by the federal government.
Hopefully more people and nonprofits start to see things differently and embrace a better way to address poverty, a way that helps rather than hurts, a way that frees rather than enslaves, and a way that works.
Definitely God will continue to make an incredible difference in the lives of men and woman as they come to the Mission to seek restoration and real life change.
You see there are typically three different ways (triggers) that bring change: a recent crisis, getting sick and tired of the same old ways (the status quo), or discovering a better way.
I’m praying that what is happening now politically will be the catalyst to trigger change.
I can’t help thinking of Charles Colson when considering the state of politics. He was a highly connected government employee facing the biggest crisis of his life as he was implicated for his role in Watergate scandal. It was at this point when a close friend took the time to share the good news of the Gospel and his life changed. He no longer put his faith in himself or his proximity to the highest office of the land, He put his faith in Christ.
He went on to say: “The hope that each of us have is not in who governs us, or what laws are passed, or what great things we do as a nation. Our hope is in the power of God working through the hearts of people, and that’s where our hope is in this country; that’s where our hope is in life.”
For us, we know that God is working through our ministry as we seek to reach the lost, people separated from God and his people, and gather them into a new way of life. Thank you for helping us in this work.