I have lived in Austin, TX since 2006 and I have noticed, as I am sure many have, homeless people are more visible in my daily routine.  A few years ago I heard that Austin allowed people to panhandle at the corner, so it was more desirable for people in Dallas or Houston to make their way to Austin, because there would be more opportunities for people to get help.

Throughout the history of the United States we have had seasons where homelessness was more common.  During the Revolutionary War, it was itinerant workers, the “wandering poor” of an agricultural society reliant on worker mobility. 

Before the Civil War, it was unemployed mill workers, dockworkers, and miners, displaced by business cycles or changes in society caused by the introduction of a rail line or telegraph station.

After the Civil War, when a credit-fueled railroad boom went bust, breaking banks and killing jobs.  Almost always, it was temporary. As soon as the economy recovered, homeless people recovered, too. They went back inside and resumed normal lives. In the meantime, there was a safety net.

Today there are over 500,000 homeless people in the United States, and the trend seems to be more than an economic struggle.  Here are the top 3 reasons why people will encounter homelessness:  1.  Mental health.  2.  Lack of job opportunity.  3.  Lack of affordable living.

The challenge of mental health is interesting because our mental health facilities in the United States have experienced considerable transition.  In the 1800’s we had state hospitals that are funded by state resources.  However, in 1946 Life Magazine publishes photos depicting the horrors inside the hospitals and as a result those facilities began to close down.  

Most of the momentum took place under the Community Mental Health Act in 1963 as John F Kennedy set out to improve the resources that were being made available but unfortunately those improvements never came.  Instead facilities kept closing and nothing came in their place.    

Today the need for mental health is higher than it has ever been, and instead of a centralized effort to serve these people we see a patched work effort by multiple groups that are doing the best they can to make a difference.  

But what does this mean for us as followers of Jesus?  

A quick glance of the Bible and we see a variety of stories around homelessness.  Abraham left his home.  Moses fled his home.  Israel wandered in the wilderness.  Ruth moved after her husband died.  David hid in caves.  Jesus and his family fled persecution.  The Apostle Paul essentially went from city to city proclaiming the name of Jesus. 

Even through the lens of the gospel, this home isn’t our home but we are citizens of heaven.  God’s call on our lives as followers of Jesus is to never get too comfortable with our homes here on earth but instead we are called to give up our earthly treasure, pleasure and leisure for His glory.      

The reason the Bible talks so much about homelessness is because homelessness is NOT the way it’s supposed to be. Homelessness is a picture of what happens when we turn from God and do what is right in our own eyes.  As a result we are on our own, left to defend for ourselves but the good news of Jesus is that He doesn’t leave us that way.  

The hope of Jesus is that He provides a way for us to come home by grace through faith in Jesus.  We not only get to come home but we get to invite others into His home with us!  We get to extend our love, time, wealth, and comfort toward others because we who are in Christ know what it is like to be homeless and return home.    

What does that look like in our lives today?  It’s likely different for everyone.  It might be giving a carebag to someone at the corner.  It might be inviting a stranger to a worship service.  It might be praying for someone.  It might be buying a meal for someone.  It might be giving someone financial help.  It might be pointing someone to resources and support in our city.  

Are we going to see overnight transformation in those moments?  Maybe not but Jesus’ life, death and resurrection turned our eviction from heaven upside down. Let’s point ourselves and others toward that same hope.

John 14:2-3, “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”