by Emily M.
- Homeless Community Protests Fort Collins Camping Ban - "Homelessness isn’t a crime. But members of the homeless population in Fort Collins say they’re treated like criminals because of what they call unjust urban camping and trespassing bans in the city." A person found sleeping on the streets within the city limits of Fort Collins, where we'll be as part of CO:Mission, could be fined as much as $100 for violating the camping ban. “If I had $100, I wouldn’t be sleeping by the railroad tracks,” Osborn said. “All it does is keep people on the streets.”
- Cities Look for Ways to Discourage Aggressive Panhandling - In Concord and a few other cities in New Hampshire, homeless panhandlers are being ticketed as much as $500 for slowing down traffic. The offender is the panhandler, not the driver who actually slows down to give money or engage with the person asking for change.
- Homeless Bus Ticket Programs Across The Nation Offer Little Accountability, Poor Housing Solutions, Activists Say - "The practice, criticized as "homeless dumping," has been quietly embraced by local government leaders since the early 2000s in an effort to diminish the public visibility of the poor and avoid costly services."
- New York City Struggles to Keep Up with High Homeless Numbers - "Homelessness in New York reached an all-time high last December, when about 59,000 people were sleeping in shelters." And that is just those who are counted in shelters.
Please be praying for us as we learn more about the complex situations surrounding homelessness, that we can have eyes to see and a heart to feel like God does about His people. As Hillsong sings, "Break my heart for what breaks yours."
Please pray for those who are homeless. Not only do they face tough conditions day-to-day, but they suffer stigma and stereotyping. We pray that God will provide the resources people need to survive, that they will find hope and dignity, and that He will turn their hearts to Himself.
Finally, please pray for those who provide the much-needed services to the homeless. We pray that they are strengthened and given new hope. We pray for Ed, Anita, and Meredith at Soaring Wings Ministries.