Should addressing homelessness be left to the professionals — you know, the agencies which have arisen either by government mandate or from the non-profit sector out of sheer compassion? Or is there another asset in the valley which, when trained by the experienced and knowledgeable, could distribute outreach, compassion, and connection to resources and pathways toward healing? The asset is the Valley’s rich and diverse faith community. With more than 1500 faith institutions of every stripe distributed in every neighborhood from Merced to Bakersfield, what if that asset could be trained to get to know, connect, serve, and constructively work with people who are experiencing homelessness who are physically near to their institutions?
Sacred Streets is designed to help churches do just that. On September 18, experts from the Housing Authority, The Rescue Mission, Westcare, The Poverello House, and Law Enforcement will help congregations form strategies to address issues such as: how can we approach the homeless effectively in a manner that really helps? How can we protect and be good stewards of our property? How can we assess our best approach? Presentations will be followed by time to ask your hardest questions.
Sacred Streets is free but you must register: sacred-streets-training.eventbrite.com
Sacred Streets is hosted by the Center for Community Transformation, and is presented in partnership with the Mayor’s Faith Based Partnership Cabinet.
