More than 200 Spokane churches were asked to open their doors to homeless people during extreme cold weather ,4 agreed

[Swede]

Who would Jesus freeze?

Link to tweet

?s=20

[onecaliberal]

1. They don't have to pretend anymore.

[msongs]

2. here's how xtians could solve the homeless problem in 10 minutes....

everyone who actually believes the teachings of the jesus character could let one homeless person live with them. there's way more xtians than homeless so by supply and demand the homeless would be in the
driver's seat so to speak

[pnwmom]

12. You could say the same exact thing about Democrats.

But in reality most people have good reason for not being comfortable with the idea of a homeless stranger living with them.

We did take someone in for several years, but it was to keep her off the streets after she left her abusive parents. But she was a friend of one of our young adult children -- we wouldn't have taken someone in who was a complete stranger.

[DemocraticPatriot]

30. .... but you are not a 'church'---- right ?

Perhaps you are aware of a church in the blizzard zone,
who took in homeless people attempting to save their lives from the weather---
and the minister is now facing criminal charges for breaking 'zoning laws' ?

Yes, I would have some hesitation about taking a homeless person into my home,
(I wish that was not so)
but neither I nor the church should suffer legal consequences for attempting to save someone's life,
regardless of what the zoning laws say about it...


(I think it was in Ohio, a story in the last two days...)

[pnwmom]

35. The person I was responding to was saying that every person who said they were Christian

could take one homeless person into their home, and thereby solve the homeless problem.

That's why I made the comparison to Democrats.

[slightlv]

32. We did... actually, my husband did.

I'll admit, I spent a fairly restless night with a complete stranger in the house. But hubby vouched for him, and we gave him shelter for the next couple of days and a few bucks to help him along his way.

We also helped a friend of mine and her daughter by moving her in with us from another state to escape an abusive husband, but that was different. Although we didn't know each other very well, we were both women and knew each other at least somewhat.

I can't get over out of 200 churches, only 4 participated... that's real Christian charity at work there... /snark.

[pnwmom]

39. But he wasn't a complete stranger to your husband, right?

We also took in a stranger to me and my husband, whom one of our children knew. She was escaping abusive parents, and ended up staying for several years.

But the idea that homelessness would disappear if every Christian took in a homeless stranger is no more workable than expecting every Democrat to do that.

[slightlv]

49. Yes... he was...

my hubs is that kind of guy. Found this guy on the corner, looking dejected, hungry, and alone. So, he brought him home, fed him, and gave him a place to stay for a couple of days to warm up and get himself straightened out. Didn't even know his name until the next morning! He is to people as I am to cats... if that makes sense.

[pnwmom]

50. Well, he is special indeed, and I'm very glad for you that it all worked out. n/t

[Maraya1969]

18. I actually have a homeless person living with me right now. She is in the mother

in law section. But she is driving me crazy and we are starting to fight like an old married couple. I didn't even know she moved in. I had told a handyman "friend" that he could stay there in exchange for doing work around my house. And he invited her in. 2 times I went over there and the kitchen was locked and I don't like that - it's a fire hazard and truthfully I wondered why she needed to lock the kitchen and just got pissed for some reason. And I wonder why I am so angry that she locked me out. It's not that she has anything I want.

So twice he texted me that that was HIS SPACE AND HE WAS GOING TO PUT A WEDGE UP TO KEEP ME OUT!

I got so fucking mad I told him to get out. Now he is telling me he will sue me for work done, forgetting he paid no rent for 2 months. And now everyone has keys to everything except me. Even if I bolt the metal door to my side he must have made a key because he can open it. He is not here now so it shouldn't matter.

And after I told him to get out she started being a bitch to me. She was doing some work for him and insists they are not a couple but she really lost her shit when I told him to leave. It's like she really doesn't like me but I have a place to stay. It's a weird situation because I won't actually throw her out, (she was living in her car) .........................

idk I apologize for writing my life story her but it felt cathartic to write it out. And I consider all of you my friends.

[MLAA]

23. Good luck with this difficult situation.

[pnwmom]

42. Thank you for sharing your story.

It shows how complicated these situations can be, even when you enter them with the best of intentions.

For one thing, my state has strong laws protecting people from eviction, which could have made it even harder for you to evict the man. In my state, if someone did take in a homeless person, and the situation didn't work out, they could be trapped with that person for months, even if the person was paying no rent, as the case slowly went through the court system.

The idea that the problem of homelessness would be solved if everyone took in one homeless stranger is just a pipe dream.

[Maraya1969]

48. I have rented to people before and I am aware of the pitfalls. And yes it scares me.

[Hekate]

53. Please call a locksmith and change the locks on your side right the heck now....

You might not be able to do much about the side they are occupying at the moment, but protect yourself and the rest of your property asap.

[Maraya1969]

56. I will tomorrow. Believe me I realize how I messed up. He is still not there and if

he comes I can call the police because he called the police after I tossed him out. The cop told me he knew him and that he was manipulative.

[Hekate]

57. Bless you, and do what you need to

[Warpy]

19. I wonder how many Tartuffian Christians (the ones who tell you how Christian they are)

ave opened their homes to homeless people until those people got on their feet.

I have, but I'm an atheist, so I guess it doesn't count.

[pnwmom]

43. Was the homeless person you took in a total stranger?

We took someone in, but our young adult knew her, so she wasn't a total stranger. She ended up staying for several years. I wouldn't have wanted to take a chance, though, on a stranger plucked from a homeless encampment.

[msongs]

41. congrats to thos who have helped. the diff between many xtians and me is I dont brag about the saviour

who thinks everyone should be sheltered and fed, then do nothing about it

[summer_in_TX]

55. My husband and I have done that before.

Not always easy.

One who was with us for several months ended up needing to move to Mexico – we deduce he murdered someone. He changed his name while he was with us from Rod to Will, then decided he'd be safer out of the country. A bright, talented man ruined by a mother who abandoned him to her father, who never forgave her. Found him hitchhiking. He stayed with us several months, then with friends who had a cabin, helping them with chores. Now and then I sensed his anger and bitterness.

Another was a bearded loner with a fundamentalist prophetic approach to life. He used a big walking stick. He visited our Sunday school class while he was with us. But he was difficult, rigid, every suggestion for a more permanent situation was turned down. My husband got along with him pretty well, but he had a gift for infuriating women. I am very even-tempered and very rarely get upset but would suddenly find myself in a rage. He stayed over the next few months with first one couple of friends then another. The men enjoyed him, and the women did at first. But he managed to enrage each of us, and I'd never seen either of the other women angry either. We found out he was harassing a single friend of ours. She'd filed a complaint with the sheriff's department and he decided it was finally time to move on. I can't think of his name now.

There was another guy too, Royce. He was sweet but a mess. Not a murderer and not a fanatic at least. He hadn't talked with anyone in his family in many, many years. Things looked for awhile like his life was looking up. He'd met a woman too. But he fell from a roof he was working on, was terribly injured. Without health insurance, the hospital saved his life but didn't really fix him. With the pain, he fell into addiction, and eventually lost everything.

Eventually I realized maybe we weren't equipped to work with folks with such mental health issues, neither the human resources nor the monetary ones, that just maybe they needed a support system that included well-trained mental health professionals. Even a welcoming and caring small church and people in a rural area couldn't make up for the knowledge and skills we lacked. Temporary help maybe, but not equipped for long-term help. My cousin and her husband, a retired Episcopal priest, lived and worked in the Community First! Village for the homeless in Austin for a year or so who worked to help formerly homeless people learn to be in community and become good neighbors. Many have developed mental health issues, some have criminal backgrounds including sexual predators. I personally don't believe churches are usually equipped and nor are regular folks, to house the homeless. But we should be involved in supporting the work and helping to provide resources, people resources and monetary.

[TheBlackAdder]

3. There are over 4,000 variations of Christian Churches in the USA, most are because the pastor wants his own fiefdom.

Most are spin-offs where the pastors want their own congregants, decide how to interpret the Bible and message that to them, use them as free labor and fleece them for goods and services.

[House of Roberts]

6. And dodge taxes.

[TheBlackAdder]

14. How could I have left that one off?

[chicoescuela]

4. Color me surprised. Hypocrites

[TSExile]

5. May I remind them...

"What you did not do for the least of these, you did not do for Me."

[ArkansasDemocrat1]

11. They didn't read that chapter

[TSExile]

20. Apparently not!!

💔

[Abolishinist]

7. Libruls, always singling out the top 2%.

Just in case...

[spanone]

8. How 'christian' of them

[Maraya1969]

9. I wonder if there are any Jewish or Hindu Temples. I bet the Unitarian Universalist

church would open up.

[marble falls]

25. I'm suprised the Mormons wouldn't open up. Shocked.

[lpbk2713]

10. From Matthew 25:35 - 40

35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,

36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?

38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?

39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

[kimbutgar]

28. That the gospel I learned from the nuns going to catholic school for 12 years.

Thank you for reminding me of those verses!

[BlueIdaho]

13. 200 Churches? In Spokane Wa?

Are you sure there are that many churches there? I don’t think this passes the smell test.

[Lochloosa]

15. I lot more than that.

There are 511religious organizations and churches in the greater Spokane Metro area, including the cities of Spokane and Spokane Valley.

[BlueIdaho]

16. Hey, thanks for that!

I had no idea - as for the cruelty of modern day Christians - now that I can believe.

[ancianita]

22. Spokane doesn't represent modern day Christians.

Today churches across the country and across denominations are making it a priority to live out that call to sanctuary, literally opening the church doors for those experiencing homelessness. By recent estimates, 564,708 people are homeless on any given night in America. And, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, in 2016 faith-based organizations provided more than 41 percent of the emergency shelter beds for adults and around 16 percent of beds for families.

Despite pushback from parishioners, safety concerns, and even looming fines, these ministries continue to live out their faith and welcome their neighbors living on the street because they believe that doing so is what it means to be Christian. Program leaders speak about the ability to care for the people they see beyond merely providing a bed. Unlike conventional shelters, these programs take a holistic approach to their care.

In New York City, just blocks from Fifth Avenue and Central Park, the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola continues a 40-year commitment to assist people experiencing homelessness. Homelessness in New York City is at its highest level since the Great Depression, with more than 61,000 people sleeping in the shelter system in April 2017. From November to April the lower meeting area of St. Ignatius houses 12 women, referred from a housing drop-in center, every other weekend. They arrive at the shelter at 7 p.m. on Friday and can sleep in the church basement for two nights, along with receiving hot meals. The shelter requires 21 volunteers each week, including two who spend the night in the church, says Pattie Hughes, shelter coordinator.

“By being in the same space as them, we’re telling them, ‘We love you,’ ” Hughes says. “Sleeping in the same space as these guests is like spending a night with God.”

Kids in the parish’s confirmation classes set up the beds, which exposes them to the truths of homelessness and how people of faith can respond, Hughes says. While the beds are always made, volunteers do not often change the sheets to offer a sense of consistency for the guests. Hughes says, “We want [the women] to feel comfortable, to feel at home.”

The space where the women sleep is cleaned every Sunday morning in time for the family services, but the area could also be rented out for profit. The Church of St. Ignatius Loyola is located on New York’s Upper East Side, a neighborhood where the median home price is $1,750,000 and the average household income is $311,109. The church could make $40,000 to $50,000 a weekend renting it out, Hughes says, but instead gives the space to the shelter program for six months a year without charge....

https://uscatholic.org/articles/201801/churches-answer-the-call-to-shelter-the-homeless/

Christian Catholic President Biden would approve this message.

[BluesRunTheGame]

17. I looked up Catholic Churches in Spokane...

…and came up with 20.

200 total seems possible.

[ancianita]

37. There are 1289 churches in WA state, so 200 in a major city doesn't seem improbable.

[ancianita]

21. Yep, they're anti-christian churches. But Christian churches are not a monolith.

From six years ago...

https://archive.ph/GySpk


As of this past year...

https://www.kcbellflower.org/blog/church-unity

To begin with, why are there so many homeless, and why is there so much poverty in the richest country in the world -- that's what we should be asking ourselves, the party and its leaders.

The banking, oligarchic authoritarian class and their newsfeeds have told us it's the victims' fault --even progressive liberals' fault -- so they all should be punished even more. As the bumper stickers say "eat the rich." We can finish off the rich, see how that helps poverty and homelessness, then maybe lay into church world.

But we have to win the 119th Congress to do that.

[marble falls]

24. Spokane used to be a pretty progressive place. I'm shocked and saddened. When Marble Falls, TX ...

... does a better job, I just got to wonder what happened to Spokane.

[ancianita]

27. Spokane is the eastern part of Washington that's full of Idaho political insurgents, that's why.

Lots of white supremacists in upper Idaho and its nearby area of eastern Washington state. It's been going on since Gov. Inslee took office.

https://www.inlander.com/news/how-americas-social-unrest-and-weakened-institutions-have-incited-vigilantes-20048774

[marble falls]

29. And Oregon is just the same.

[ancianita]

33. Most of it has to do with right wing world views. Here's an example.

https://archive.ph/Ly0s2

The “American Redoubt” push, which targets Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and eastern Washington and Oregon for a “political migration” movement, was declared by survivalist author and blogger James Wesley Rawles in 2011. On his “survivalblog” website he writes, “I’m inviting people with the same outlook to move to the Redoubt States, to effect a demographic solidification. We’re already a majority here. I’d just like to see an even stronger majority.”

Here's where they are -- there's Idaho, the cancerous center.

[marble falls]

34. They keep property values up. I'd hate it. After a while I'd get bored.

[jmowreader]

36. James Wesley Rawles happened to Spokane

Rawles is the author of that American Redoubt bullshit that's ruined Idaho and Montana, and the cancer extends west to Moses Lake.

You're right: Spokane USED to be pretty progressive. But now? They sent Cathy McMorris Rodgers to DC and Matt Shea to Olympia. It's nowhere like what it used to be.

[pnwmom]

51. I've been in WA for 40 years and I've never thought of it as a progressive city.

Maybe it is compared to some of the areas surrounding it?

[leftyladyfrommo]

26. It might be more of an insurance issue. nt

[ancianita]

31. It's a national issue. We can fix it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States

...Although mental illness and addiction are risk factors associated with homelessness,[10] a 2022 study found that differences in per capita homelessness rates across the country are not explained by varying rates of mental illness, drug addiction, or poverty, but rather by differences in the cost of housing.[11] West Coast cities including Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles have homelessness rates five times that of areas with much lower housing costs like Arkansas, West Virginia, and Detroit, even though the latter locations have high burdens of opioid addiction and poverty.[11][12]...

Homelessness has increased since 2016.[16] As of 2020, the homeless population has increased in 27 states. It is doubled in some cities. Most homeless people lived in California, New York, Florida, and Washington in 2022, according to the annual Homeless Assessment Report.[17]

In 2023, record levels of homelessness have been declared in Los Angeles and New York City, and other cities around the country have reported increased levels of homelessness, with the main driver, according to advocates and researchers, being the decrease in affordable housing.[16] According to The Wall Street Journal, homelessness increased by around 11% since 2022.[18]

Homelessness hit a record high in 2022, attributed to pandemic aid running out, as more than 650,000 people were living in shelters or outside, a 12% increase from the prior year.[19] Homelessness increased by another 12% in 2023 due to the increased cost of living

[pnwmom]

52. One of the articles mentioned concerns about damage and liability. nt

[Initech]

38. Whatever happened to "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses"?

[Goodheart]

40. Those were business decisions.

[AZLD4Candidate]

44. And knowing what I know about most Xtian churches, most said no thank you.

[PatrickforB]

45. This is very sad. n/t

[gopiscrap]

46. Which four participated

I would like to thank them

[Ilsa]

47. I'm glad that my church in Georgia is more generous.

We opened our recreation center during bad weather like this.

[Hekate]

54. The churches/temples of various denominations could band together w the city to create...

…what Santa Barbara, CA calls “warming centers” for when it gets too cold & wet, and also to create transition houses for families. Volunteers from each organization provide staff.

It’s not a cure-all, but it is a start and a big help to those who otherwise might simply freeze to death. I have no idea what the underlying situation is in Spokane, but for heaven’s sake (so to speak) the best way to start is to get together — and begin.

[xmas74]

58. My smaller town has warming centers

At a couple of churches. The shelters fill up quickly so this is an option. More would open but they just don't have enough trained volunteers.

[Hekate]

65. Volunteers can be trained & monitored. Prayers alone are never going to be enough....

Thank you for your efforts.

[xmas74]

66. You know how it goes

It's getting the volunteers.
Most of our willing volunteers are elderly and often have no business out in bad weather. We have others who'd like to but have families with young or school-age children. Bad weather=no school=no babysitter.
I'd like to see more of our local airmen and college students volunteer. Some need the hours and others are going into fields where it's useful.

[Skittles]

59. anyone else surprised four said yes?

I thought they were ALL a bunch of hypocrites.

[Kaleva]

63. Fact checking suggests there's more then 12

An issue is that many churches don't meet state code to house people overnight. They lack sprinkler systems and such

[phylny]

60. I wonder how many people responding here actually

read the article.

I know it's popular to crap on Christians/churches and all, but there is absolute liability to just "opening their doors" plus logistics necessary to keep people safe. If there is damage, sexual assault of adults or children, what happens then? Honestly, most churches struggle to remain open.

Why aren't gyms doing this? Schools? Libraries? Hotels with vacancies? Why aren't cities buying up and renovating abandoned buildings?

From one article I read:

https://invisiblepeople.tv/why-arent-warming-centers-used-more-to-protect-homeless-people-from-the-cold/

"About Warming Centers

"Warming centers are short-term emergency shelters that open during extreme cold weather events. Municipalities often use libraries, recreation centers, or similar public buildings as warming centers during the winter months. Nonprofits and private organizations also operate warming centers, oftentimes in churches or other large structures.

"These centers must go through the same steps before they can open. They include:

"Securing additional funding
Finding staff to operate the center, and
Getting a conditional use permit from their jurisdiction."

And then there's this:
https://churchleaders.com/news/466248-churches-opening-facilities-to-unhoused-individuals-face-financial-legal-challenges.html

and this:
https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-01-05/a-kansas-city-church-steps-up-to-shelter-unhoused-residents-before-dangerous-cold-hits-region

We have enough money in this country to keep people fed and warm.

[Kaleva]

64. People readily believe that which reinforces their world view.

If some have an issue with religion, Christianity in general or places of worship, they may be more inclined to believe the OP to be factual when in truth, it isn't.

It's human nature to do this and no one group is immune from it. Be it Magahats, liberals, moderates,; it doesn't matter .

We here at DU may like to believe that we question and fact check everything but this is just one example that shows that is not always the case

[Maru Kitteh]

61. You do you, Spokanistan.

Sheltering the poor is not a lucrative business endeavor and the poor have no political power, so why would the greatest majority of religious groups be interested in helping them?

[Kaleva]

62. OP might be bullshit

"OLYMPIA – Spokane churches that temporarily shelter the homeless are seeking help from the Washington Legislature to keep the program going.

Family Promise of Spokane isn’t asking for money. Instead, the program is looking for a waiver to building codes that require certain fire prevention and suppression equipment in any structure where people sleep overnight.

Twelve local congregations rotate the program each week, allowing homeless families to sleep in their churches temporarily. Over the past 18 years, Family Promise has sheltered more than 400 families, and 85 percent of them have become self-sustaining and are no longer homeless, Ron Hardin, the organization’s past president told a House committee Thursday."

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/feb/09/spokane-churches-need-a-change-in-state-law-to-con/

I wonder how many people in this thread fact checked it?

[Tansy_Gold]

67. And a Bryan, OH, pastor is arrested

https://www.wsaz.com/2024/01/19/pastor-faces-charges-keeping-church-doors-open-help-homeless/

BRYAN, Ohio (WTVG/Gray News) - A pastor has pleaded not guilty during an arraignment in municipal court in Bryan, Ohio, after opening the doors to his church 24 hours a day last March to anyone in need of a place to rest or get out of the cold.

Pastor Chris Avell of Dad’s Place faces numerous zoning code violations.

“We’ll see, but I’m just, I’m praising God that at least as of now if I’m understanding correctly, the people can stay,” Avell said Jan. 11 while standing next to his attorney outside of the courtroom.

The church is located next door to a county homeless shelter but often takes in those the shelter cannot help.

Bryan is a small, rural community in the northwest corner of Ohio.

[Kaleva]

69. +1

[Jacson6]

68. Churches aren't designed to be housing for people.

Even if the churches did this they would have to buy insurance to protect them from any claims. Churches do run homeless shelters with beds and offer soup kitchens to feed the poor. But stacking a hundred people in a church with no beds would be a hazard for those people.
Before you rant at me about this I was homeless for a year years ago and appreciated the help that religious organizations provided me.