Homelessness Sunday 2024

Before I moved to Chester in the summer, I used to love going for walks in the wood near our home. In the spring, I came across a nest hidden in the ivy covering an old fir tree. I say I came across it, but the single scruffy-looking chick inside was making such a racket, I couldn’t miss it!

Of course, it wasn’t my attention the chick wanted at all. Its parents were waiting nearby with something juicy to feed to their impatient offspring.

Over the course of the next few days, I would carefully look in on the nest whenever I was passing. Then, one day, the nest was empty. I looked high and low but couldn’t see or hear any sign. Well-fed and nurtured, the chick had been ready to fledge.

As a parent who has just delivered my eldest to university, I can see that readiness to fledge in my own children. But for those forced out of the comfort and warmth of a nest unprepared, the experience can be traumatic and life-limiting. I was shocked to discover recently that the average life expectancy for men sleeping rough is 47. That’s my age now!

Sunday 6 October is Homelessness Sunday. Speaking about himself as ‘the Son of Man’, Jesus said: ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head’ (Matt 8:20; Luke 9:58). Jesus didn’t have the safety and security of a cosy nest. Whether or not he had his own property, he seems to have spent a great deal of time ‘sofa-surfing’, travelling from place to place looking for a bed for the night. He also showed a deep concern for the homeless in his ministry and teaching.

For the past ten years or so, I have been involved with a homelessness charity set up to provide the support and nurture that is needed to enable people who have experienced homelessness to ‘fledge’ and thrive in their own independent accommodation. One Roof Leicester drew support from across the different faith communities in the city to provide housing and, crucially, professional help and community support. Their success rate in helping people reset their lives and flourish independently is impressive.

In just the last twelve months, the numbers of those sleeping on the streets in England on a typical night have gone up by 27%, according to government figures. There are many contributing factors to the rising challenges of homelessness and that will be the subject of our next Assemble debate on Thursday 24^th October. We will hear from those actively involved both locally and nationally. Importantly, we will also hear the lived experience of someone who has been sleeping on our streets right here in Chester.

Any ‘solution’ to homelessness will involve more than money, more even than just a roof, it demands a wider communal response. I have seen communities embrace those in need of shelter and I have seen them reject such people out of fear and ignorance. I think churches, cathedrals and other faith communities are well placed for nest-building, offering a positive, compassionate response, with holistic support alongside trained professionals. As we reflect and pray this Homelessness Sunday, and prepare for our next Assemble, I want to give thanks for all the brilliant charities who work to support those in our area experiencing homelessness but I also want to commit to working with them to move beyond listening to action.

If you want to read more about how churches are responding to homelessness today, you might like to look at these reports:

About Coming Home | The Church of England

More-than-Bricks-and-Mortar.pdf (jpit.uk)

Find out more and book your free ticket to our next Assemble 'What's the 'problem' with homelessness' here.