Hello Broadway Family,
As the weather gets colder, and the nights get longer, my heart is holding the many people here in Chicago without homes.
Being homeless brings challenges that many homed people don’t think about. For example, self-care can be extremely challenging. Maintaining daily hygiene takes more energy and resourcefulness than you might imagine when you don’t have running water or walls. It can be hard to find a place to wash up, brush your teeth, or even use the toilet. Soap and deodorant can be hard to come by. If you have clothes besides the clothes on your back, it’s challenging to keep them nice and in good condition. Keeping fed is about more than just acquiring food, you also have to consider how to prepare it, often without things like a can opener or oven.
In the cold months, there’s also the challenges of staying warm. Many people every year in Chicago freeze to death. While there are shelters and warming stations available, they aren’t adequate to the need. Besides, shelters aren’t for everyone. They can be chaotic, unsafe and overwhelming, the rules can be oppressive, and they are often infested with bed bugs.
I believe firmly that nobody should have to live without safe and affordable housing. I believe our faith calls us to this, as well. How can we say we love our neighbor, when our neighbor is forced to live in a tent city under a viaduct? It is our collective responsibility to work to do better.
This Sunday, immediately following worship, on zoom and in person, a representative from ONE Northside will be sharing information about what we can do to support a Waitlist Ordinance, a measure that could reduce homelessness in Chicago by improving how the waitlist works, and making the waitlist more accessible to the people who need it.
I hope you join us for this important conversation! While you are at it, consider joining us for worship, right before that? Worship starts at 11 on zoom, Facebook and in our own sanctuary. This week we celebrate the second Sunday of Advent, and the theme is Love. Rev Lou is preaching, and I know I’m looking forward to deepening my understanding of how Christ calls us to love.
