“Chronic homelessness can last years or even decades, and there are no simple solutions or quick fixes. In fact, chronic homelessness seems to confound many social service systems which are mostly designed to deal with emergency situations and rapid rehousing. These people, who are made in God’s image, seem to be living right at the intersection of several failing systems, yet they are often only thought of — and most avoided — when they’re sitting at the intersections of our busiest streets”

Weaving together her experience with foster care, background in therapy, and leading a nonprofit, Christina shares how to stand in solidarity with people on the margins. By widening our circle of who we consider to be our family we can practice radical kinship and are transformed in the process.

At Mobile Loaves & Fishes, we believe that once people are properly housed and their basic needs are being met, they can begin healing from the ravages of living on the streets. But for our homeless friends to truly settle, heal and transform their lives, they need much more than four walls and a roof to no longer be homeless. They need relationships. They need dignity and a renewed sense of hope. They need community.

Community First! Village is a place where men and women from different walks of life find restoration and healing, and our Missional neighbors play a vital role in this process through intentional relationship building. Christina Hite and her husband, Dustin, have been living in the Village missionally for almost a year. Living in Peoria, Illinois with no intention of moving, a tour of Community First! Village in 2019 changed everything.

In this week’s episode, we interview Christina Hite, the Co-Founder of A Faithful Presence, to hear the incredible impact they are making on the lives of their neighbors at Community First! Village who used to be chronically homeless, what life now looks like living and walking beside them through life’s joys and challenges, and discover ways for our listeners to get engaged.

What Does a Community-Based Approach to Chronic Homelessness Look Like? Today, we’re talking about how to ensure housing for all. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has reported that in the United States last year, nearly 600,000 people experienced homelessness on a single night. So, we’re going to spend time with a nonprofit that has a theory about why so many are without a place to live and what to do about that.