Homelessness

The Lost Souls

Rachel Starr

• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9781639039692
• eBook ISBN: 9781639039708
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religious Biographies

Richard was very happily married, then everything changed. Richard's wife and children were killed in a car accident. Richard lost his job and was living on the streets.

At that time, he blamed God for the death of his family. He didn't care if he lived or died.

While walking the streets, Richard came across a shelter. There, he met a young woman. In all their conversions, the young woman named Denise led Richard to accept Christ as his personal savior.

They got married and opened their home to anyone who was homeless and needed a place to stay.

To Jesus Christ. Without his inspiration and guidance, this book would not have been possible. Also for everyone who is homeless or was at one time.

Dear readers,

I am a Born-again Christian. I am writing this book for anyone who is hurting or struggling or know someone who is. Just know that Jesus loves you and will never leave you.

I encourage you to pray and ask God for strength and healing either physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Here are some Bible verses for encouragement to lift you up if you are down. All these verses are taken from the English Standard Version.

For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

For he will command his Angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. (Psalm 91:11)

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7)

Just a few more verses to read at your leisure:

• Romans 8:38–39
• John 16:33
• Isaiah 53:5

You may be homeless if you are living in unsuitable housing. You are homeless if you have nowhere to stay and are living on the streets, but you can be homeless even if you have a roof over your head.

You can count yourself homeless if you are staying with friends, you are squatting (because you have no legal rights to stay), at risk of violence or abuse in your home, or living in poor conditions that affect your health.

Each year, an estimated 4.2 million youth and young adults experience homelessness, of which 700,000 are unoccupied minors, meaning they are not part of a family or accompanied by a parent or guardian. On any given night, approximately 41,000 unaccompanied youth of ages 13–25 experience homelessness.

Causes and Consequences of Youth Homelessness

Children in foster care face multiple factors that increase their risk of homelessness; over 500 children in the United States ran away from foster care homes or other placements in 2017.

Shelters

Because the federal courts have refused to recognize a federal constitution right to shelter, several states have enacted their own laws to recognize such a right. Many of these states require that cities provide a shelter.

Education

One alarming aspect of the growth of the homeless population is the increasing numbers of families and children who have nowhere to live. Children are more strongly affected by homelessness than adults because they are less able to overcome lack of food. Many children in homeless families lack transportation and even clothing for school.

Another barrier to education of children without a home is inability to track education and medical records. Students can be refused enrollment if they don’t have documentation of previous schooling.

New York has approximately 114,000 temporarily homeless schoolchildren. Also, in New York, the rescue missions offering soup, soap, and salvation were introduced by the Salvation Army.

Homeless Veterans

The US Department of Veteran Affairs states that the nation’s homeless veterans are predominantly male, with roughly 9 percent being female. Roughly 45 percent of homeless veterans are African American or Hispanic.

Why Are Veterans Homeless

In addition to the complex set of factors influencing all homelessness (e.g., extreme shortage of affordable housing and livable income access to health care), a large number of displaced and at-risk veterans live with lingering effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse, which are compounded by a lack of family and social support networks.

Ending Homelessness (Setting a Living Wage)

Being paid a living wage is even a better solution. A living wage is the minimum income necessary to meet the basic needs including food, housing, and other essentials such as clothing.

Shelters get homeless people off the streets and provide a place to stay temporarily while looking for a long-term solution.

They can provide places to sleep, store belongings, take a shower, and make meals. Shelters can also help people get back on their feet by helping with housing, job searching, connecting parents with daycare, and making sure school-age kids are enrolled in school.

This Is Richard’s Story

Richard Jackson lived in a small town in Minnesota; he lived there with his wife and children. They had a lovely home. They were also very happy. He had everything he could ever ask for, then something happened that changed his life—his wife and children were killed in a car accident. They were coming home from shopping when another car came out of nowhere and hit them head-on.

Richard was not the same after the death of his fami...

Table of contents

• This Is Richard’s Story