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The New Face of Homelessness
by Lori G. Baynard

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Fighting Poverty with Faith

Fighting Poverty with Faith is a growing and diverse coalition of faith groups committed to cutting domestic poverty in half by 2020. The movement brings the moral authority and the organizing power of the faith community to make meeting the needs of those living in poverty a national priority, and to highlight solutions that address the root causes of poverty.

FPWF is bringing individuals, houses of worship and community organizations together in October 2010 to educate and advocate around domestic poverty. Your organization is invited to participate in an informational conference call on Thursday, July 15^th at 3:30 pm EST (call in: 888-690-8774) to learn about this mobilization effort. Please RSVP for the call to Jordan Blevins.

More Current Articles in Public Policy:
•	Rooting for Financial Reform by Heidi Unruh
•	Good News for the Poor by Heidi Unruh
•	The Church on a Justice Mission by Heidi Unruh
•	Take Action! Part II by Heidi Unruh

While taking a class in downtown Philadelphia, I decided to take the train into the city early one Saturday morning. As I walked through the deserted streets I was stunned to realize how many homeless people I had to walk around to get to my destination. The homeless people I saw were mostly middle-aged men. By the time I came out of the building for lunch, there was no sign of them. Rumor has it that the police come through and clear them out before the regular downtown crowds appear. Thus most of us do not have to be confronted with the reality of their existence. If you're like me, you are deeply disturbed that in America there are people who go without shelter.

Back to my suburban world there is no sign of homelessness. No one to step over while going about my day, no visible signs of a growing undercurrent that is taking place in our society. However, middle-class families are sinking into homelessness at an alarming rate. You've heard the whispers about the family up the street being in foreclosure. Stories at the private school about someone's father being out of work for over a year. Maybe you've received phone calls (I have) trying to find help for a family that has just been foreclosed on. Educated, highly skilled, competent people who are unable to work are being catapulted into the despair of homelessness. Then there are the people who work every day. People who wake up early and go to sleep late, yet they cannot provide shelter for their families.

While the country debates and advocates for healthcare reform, we cannot ignore the growing number of men, women, and children who are homeless or on the brink of homelessness. Taxpayers have bailed out most of the banks and mortgage companies who are now slow to respond to the cry for help that many of its mortgage holders need. Where is the public outcry? During the last presidential election there was much talk about bailing out "Main Street," but now Main Street has fewer occupants because they've been thrown into the street.

Not all of the people currently in foreclosure are there because of poor personal choices in obtaining loans that they could not afford. A growing number of foreclosures are due to people being laid off of work and not being able to find new jobs—also people who were forced to take substantial pay cuts to maintain the jobs that they have. While there have been several public policy initiatives aimed at curbing this problem, the number of homeless families continues to rise. Homelessness in no longer segregated into an invisible segment of society but is now all around us, so perhaps this is a great time to move to eradicate homelessness in our society all together. Do any of you have any resources, references, ministries, or ideas that can help? Please let us know.

Lori G. Baynard is a Sider Scholar and an Ayers Scholar at Palmer Theological Seminary in Wynnewood, Pa., where she is pursuing a masters of theological studies in Christian Faith and Public Policy.

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