Hope & Freedom
Ministries
Our Story
Have you ever passed a homeless person and averted your eyes? Do you struggle with how to help the homeless without enabling them? Would you be willing to help the homeless if you could find a tangible way to make sure your help makes a direct impact on their lives?
We too have struggled with how to help this vulnerable population.
Watching people begging on a street corner, passing homeless people sleeping on a park bench, and observing those with severe mental illness talking or even shouting to themselves can be disconcerting that for many, the way of coping with this tragedy is to ignore the situation or distract themselves with other activities.
Hope & Freedom Ministries (HFM) can help.
Our Mission
Our mission is to provide limited services to homeless people who have “fallen through the cracks”. At HFM, we are not trying to duplicate services that other charities provide. Instead, we look for needs that are not being met and seek to meet them.
We are a 501(c)3 registered not only in the state of Texas but nationally. That means your contributions to HFM are fully tax-deductible.
Fallen Through the Cracks
There is a famous story of a boy who found hundreds of starfish that had washed onto the beach. One-by-one, he picked them up and threw them back into the ocean. A passerby tried to help the boy understand there were more starfish stranded than the boy could help and that he was not really making a difference. Undeterred, the youngster picked up another, tossed it into the water, and said, “It makes a difference for this one.”
Not every person who needs help gets it. In spite of heroic efforts by the many fine relief agencies in Houston, some homeless slip through the cracks. These are the ones we want to help. We can’t help them all but we can help some. And for those we help, we know we are making a difference.
Will you partner with us in providing help to those who have “fallen through the cracks?”
Homelessness is a
National Problem
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) states there are more than 550,000 people in the United States who are homeless. Of that number, nearly 200,000 live without any shelter, that is, they live on the streets.
Out of every 10,000 people in our country, 17 are homeless. Although this is much lower than in many countries in Central and South America, any homelessness is unacceptable. Who will step up to help us?
Homelessness in
Houston
Most homeless services are provided by government-funded programs. In Houston, these programs are increasingly effective at addressing the problem of homelessness. Despite these programs, some homeless people still fall “between the cracks".
According to the latest government figures, there are nearly 4,000 people in Houston who are homeless. Of that number, 2,200 live in shelters whereas nearly 1,800 live on the streets.
Historically, Houston has had one of the highest homeless populations in the nation. The good news is that since 2011, the number of homeless in Houston has decreased by 55%.
But the rest of the news is there are still many people who sleep in shelters, in parks, under bridges, or in other public places not meant for human habitation.
Mental Illness
On an extremely cold night, we encouraged a man to go to a shelter that had just opened. He said, “I have mental problems. I can’t be in crowds.” He needed protection from the cold but his mental illness prevented him from getting the shelter he needed. According to the Treatment Advocacy Center, there are 10 times as many mentally ill persons in jails and prisons then in mental hospitals. Jails and prisons now serve as the largest mental health providers in 44 states.
Beginning in the 1960s, the government began a policy of deinstitutionalization. It began as a way to improve mental health treatment but it was also a way of budget cutting. The Mental Health Systems Act (MHSA) of 1980 was legislation that provided grants to community mental health centers to improve mental health care. But that law was repealed in 1981 leading to the emptying of mental health hospitals.
The streets then became home for a large portion of the mentally ill. Soon, jails were filled with former patients of mental hospitals. Instead of getting the treatment they needed, they were treated as criminals and housed with much more dangerous felons.
Of those who live on the streets, 33% are mentally ill. Mental illness impairs a person’s ability to make decisions that are in their best interest. Persons with mental illness are often overwhelmed with fear, suspicion, and the inability to comprehend the need for help or the availability of services. Severe illnesses such as schizophrenia, extreme bipolar disorder, or psychosis make it impossible for some to seek help.
Causes of Homelessness
There are a variety of reasons people are homeless. The number one cause is financial instability caused by underemployment or joblessness. In Houston, that accounts for 50% of the homeless population (35% cited the loss of job and 15% said their bills were higher than their earnings).
Other factors include lack of affordable housing, drug addiction, domestic violence, lack of social support, and mental health concerns.
Many of the homeless have physical disabilities that cause employers to pass over them in job searches. The absence of dental care with obviously missing teeth—some with no teeth—bar them from any job where they have contact with the public.
In order to search for a job, they need to find suitable clothing and get it washed, take a shower and use personal grooming items to make themselves presentable. These things may not seem like a big undertaking but they require great determination for those who live on the streets since facilities are not readily available. After making those efforts a few times and not finding a job, they become resigned to their plight.
A huge factor in homelessness is the loss of hope. After many disappointments, the homeless lose hope, believing there is little use in trying again.
This is where HFM comes in. Our self-assigned task is to give the homeless HOPE. We want them to feel valued and even to feel special. That is why the meals we provide are not just to sustain their lives, but to convey to them that someone cares deeply. On several occasions, we stop and share a picnic table or a bench and eat with them.
Racial disparity
According to the most recent report by the Coalition for the Homeless, African Americans are disproportionately represented among people experiencing homelessness in our community.
People who identify as Black or African American make up 19.9% of the population of Harris County, but account for 56.2% of those experiencing homelessness. This disparity is the result of decades of structural oppression and systemic racism.
Life Expectancy
The life expectancy of those who live on the streets is fifty, nearly thirty years less than housed populations. In fact, the life expectancy of the homeless in the US is less than it is for the general populations in many third-world countries.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) says that people experiencing homelessness are at a greater risk of infectious and chronic illness, poor mental health, and substance abuse. Further, those on the street are more likely to be the target of violence.
There but for the Grace of God
“It couldn’t happen to me. I’d find a way to stay off the streets regardless of the circumstances.”
Think about that. Could you have ended up living on the streets if some factors in your life were different? If you lost your job, how long would your savings carry you as you looked for other employment?
What if your life had taken a different course? Instead of being raised by a loving family that encouraged you, what if you were raised in poverty? If you had not been encouraged to get an education or job training, could you have ended up on the streets?
The sense of hopefulness and freedom we enjoy is not the case for many people who are homeless. After repeated heartaches, failures, and hurts, hope fades.