On Being Faithfully Engaged in the
Ministry of Ending Homelessness
From the Presbytery of New York City

Whereas, "God sends the church in the power of the Holy Spirit to exercise compassion in the world, feeding the hungry, comforting the grieving, caring for the sick, visiting the prisoners, freeing the captives, sheltering the homeless, befriending the lonely" (Book of Order, W-7.3001);

And whereas, "the call [to compassion] is accepted as the faithful respond in prayers of confession and intercession, in acts of self-offering, and in offering material goods to be shared in ministries of compassion" (Book of Order, W-7.3002);

And whereas, "the church is also called to engage those structures and systems which create or foster brokenness and distortion. Christians respond to these calls through acts of advocacy and compassion, through service in common ministries of the church, and through cooperation with agencies and organizations committed to these ends" (Book of Order, W-7.3003);

And whereas, God makes continual provision for the poor in God's Law, given to the leaders of Israel and embodied in Christ's life and teaching;

And whereas, millions among us find themselves homeless in the United States, which is the most visible and egregious sign of the fact that 37 million people in the United States live below the poverty line, including one in every six children (U.S. Census Bureau), a number that continues to grow even as the national economy grows, increasing disparities between rich and poor;

And whereas, in response to increased awareness and concern regarding homelessness on the part of Presbyterian congregations and others, a grassroots coalition, the Presbyterian Network to End Homelessness, was established in 2004;

Therefore, be it resolved that the 217th General Assembly (2006):

Affirms those Presbyterian congregations who are already actively engaged in acts of compassion, empowerment, and advocacy alongside those who are homeless;

Challenges each Presbyterian congregation to embrace a comprehensive approach to ending homelessness that includes compassionate responses to immediate human needs, creative empowerment of homeless individuals, and courageous advocacy for effective and systemic policy changes, such as developing and maintaining affordable (i.e. Section 8) housing, homelessness prevention, service provision, and promotion of livable incomes; and specifically, we challenge each congregation to:

1. Honor the dignity and full humanity of those who are homeless and impoverished, and include them as fully equal and respected members of the congregation and in information-gathering and/or decision-making processes in the congregation's responses to homelessness,

2. Root the congregation's work to end homelessness in faithful acts of prayer, worship, stewardship, study and education,

3. Actively identify and collaborate with other faith communities, nonprofit agencies, business and government entities at municipal, local, state, and national levels in order to maximize effectiveness, and

4. Utilize existing resources on homelessness developed by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) since 1997 under the Women's Ministries program area, the Presbyterian Hunger Program, and the Urban Ministries program area, as well as resources developed by the Presbyterian Network to End Homelessness.

As Presbyterian congregations engage in acts of compassion, empowerment, and advocacy, the 217th General Assembly also:

a. Directs the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP) to study and update policy on ministry with the homeless in consultation with Presbyterian Hunger Program, Urban Ministries Program, the Presbyterian Washington Office, Presbyterian Health, Education and Welfare Association, Advocacy Committee for Racial Ethnic Concerns, Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns, and the Presbyterian Network to End Homelessness, and bring a resolution with recommendations to the 218th General Assembly (2008).