ELCA Churches
Join Movement to End Homelessness for Children and Youth
Lutheran churches across
Minnesota are standing up in a variety of ways for homeless youth in a new
statewide campaign to end homelessness for children and youth by 2015. As
part of the campaign, kids who are buying school supplies for the fall,
will also be collecting soap, toothbrushes, wash cloths and food
supplies—items of survival that homeless youth carry around with them in
their own backpacks.
The campaign, initiated by
Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, is called a Movement of Hope for
Children and Youth, and Minnesota’s 1,200 Lutheran Churches in the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have all been invited to get
involved.
An official launch of the
movement is set for Sunday, August 13 when churches around the state will
be encouraged to include a children’s sermon on homeless kids, circulate
information about youth homelessness, share devotional materials, pray,
collect supplies for children in need, and discuss ways members of
congregations can make a difference. Some congregations will also be
participating with special plans in the fall.
“By educating ourselves and
getting involved, members in our congregations can be a powerful force in
ending homelessness for kids and ensuring that all children in Minnesota
have a safe and supportive place to live,” explained Rev. Alan Loose,
director of Congregational Partnerships and Advocacy for Lutheran Social
Service. “It’s part of how we live out the call in Scripture to love our
neighbors.”
Rev. Loose said that the
Movement of Hope for Children and Youth is part of a larger initiative
within the ELCA to end poverty by 2020. All six synods of the ELCA in
Minnesota have signed on to initiative, as have 35 leaders of other church
organizations in Minnesota.
Lutheran Social Service traces
its first acts of service to children when a Lutheran pastor and his
congregation opened an orphanage in 1865 for children whose parents had
died or were unable to care for them. Today, as Minnesota’s largest
statewide social service organization, Lutheran Social Service provides a
wide array of care to provide safety and support for vulnerable children
and youth—from adoption and foster care to mental health counseling,
independent living skills training, emergency shelter and transitional
housing for homeless youth and families.
Providing safe, supportive
places for kids who are homeless is one of Minnesota’s most pressing
needs, Loose said. According to the Wilder Foundation, over 3,200 children
and youth are homeless on any given night in Minnesota. About 2,600 are
younger children within homeless families. Another 500-600 youth are
unaccompanied youth under age 18. Youth on their own are often running
away from neglect, abuse or other factors contributing to instability at
home.
“Some people are surprised to
learn that we have youth who are homeless in our state—including in areas
like Duluth, Brainerd and Willmar,” Loose said. “We hope that this
campaign will raise awareness, and beyond that, action to support kids. We
can all do something, whether it’s giving financial support, educating
ourselves about the needs of children in our state, or advocating at the
Legislature for policies that provide safe and supportive places to live
for all of Minnesota’s kids.”
Loose added that, as part of
the campaign, busloads from congregations from around Minnesota will also
be helping to “Strike Out Homelessness for Minnesota’s Kids” by
participating in LSS Night at the Twins on Friday, August 11 at 7:10 p.m.
when the Twins will face off against the Toronto Blue Jays. Anyone can
participate. Tickets are $15. For each ticket sold through Lutheran Social
Service, the organization receives $6 to help strike out youth
homelessness.
