Central in the Community: June is for Housing

This summer, our theme is Central in the Community, a season-long commitment to serving the practical needs of our community. Each month, we're focusing on a specific need in our city: housing, food, and education. In June, we're turning our attention to one of the most foundational of all human needs: housing.

For many, when thinking about housing insecurity, the first mental image that comes to mind will be of someone sleeping outside on the street. While this is a real experience for many, housing insecurity can take on many other forms as well. Due to the expansiveness of the suburbs and rural communities, outside of the city center, we see far fewer people sleeping outside, but that doesn't mean that housing insecurity is any less of a threat.

For many in our community, homelessness can look like sleeping in your car, staying with a friend, or families living with relatives or grandparents while trying to find permanent shelter.

When people find themselves in a crisis, they often look to churches to help. We frequently get calls from people with an eviction notice, with a utility cut off notice, or even who are already staying in a hotel. As followers of Jesus, we know we are supposed to help those who come to us in need. But the reality is, issues involving housing are often expensive. As a smaller congregation with limited income, there is only so much we can do.

In the past when people would come to us for help, we often didn't have the funds available, as sometimes people may need thousands of dollars in assistance to cover previous debts.

When we did have the funds, we would try to provide various forms of assistance, but that often didn't feel like enough. If someone needs money to stay in a hotel, we aren't doing anything to help them find permanent housing. If we pay someone's rent this month, but they don't have enough monthly income to cover next month's, they will probably be evicted next month.

It was like even with our help, we were doing little to address the larger needs of those in crisis. None of this is to say that a single gift of mercy is unimportant or that helping someone a single time is wrong. But the reality is, if we truly want people in our community to thrive, our goal shouldn't be to just give out assistance but to get people to a place where they are no longer in need.

The Central Missions committee began reflecting on this and wondered if there was a better way of offering assistance to the community. This is when we began to partner with ACTS — Area Congregations Together in Service — a Richmond-based nonprofit that has been doing this work faithfully for years.

ACTS exists to prevent homelessness before it begins. Their Emergency Financial Assistance program provides funds and connections to community resources for individuals and families who are at risk of losing their housing due to temporary financial hardship. Yet, they do far more than simply give financial assistance. They're walking alongside people through a crisis and helping them get back to a place of financial security.

ACTS assists hundreds of households and thousands of clients every year across Richmond City, Henrico, and Hanover counties. They are the kind of organization that makes the safety net real for real people.

Now, when the church receives a call from someone in need, we work with them to see if they qualify for an ACTS referral (they must have some kind of monthly income to ensure they can get back to a place of financial security following the assistance). If they do, we forward their info to ACTS, and then a case worker from ACTS works with them in addressing their need. Sometimes they will receive financial assistance. But many times, people also receive financial education to help them get back to a place of financial security.

Throughout June, Central is collecting a special offering dedicated entirely to our ACTS partnership. Every dollar goes directly toward keeping Richmond families in their homes. Your gift could go towards someone's rent following a sudden job loss or pay for someone’s electricity bill following expensive heating bills during the winter.

You can give towards the ACTS offering during worship on Sundays, online, or during our Dessert Auction on June 24.

While the June focus is on raising funds, we also want to invite our congregation into a posture of awareness and prayer. As you drive through Richmond this month, notice the neighborhoods. Pray for families navigating housing instability and ask God how we may be called to help our community in other ways.

To learn more about ACTS RVA and the work they do, visit actsrva.org. To give toward our June housing focus, visit cbcrichmond.org.