Loving our Neighbors: Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative

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Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative is a group of 90 congregations, all working together to end homelessness in the Twin Cities metro area, and they send so much love out into our community! Their mission is to create homes and advance equitable housing, advocating for underserved people in and around the Twin Cities. Mount Calvary partners with Beacon as one of the congregation hosts of Families Moving Forward, a Beacon program that provides short-term, emergency shelter to families experiencing homelessness.

Dan Gregory is Beacon’s Strategic Communications Manager. He’s also an ordained minister who found his calling helping Minnesota’s homeless population by telling Beacon’s stories. “We work together with our collaborating congregations to create homes, shelter families, and impact public policy,” said Dan.

One of Beacon’s stories involves the Minneapolis homeless camp that recently has been in the news. In response to the homeless camp, Beacon started a campaign to build a new 70-unit building. This building will follow a “housing first” model, which essentially provides a home, no matter what.

Beacon recognizes that a stable home provides the first step in addressing some of the other factors that prevent people from succeeding. “We look at a comprehensive approach,” said Dan. “We create homes with onsite support for low-income and our most-vulnerable populations.” In the new building, the homes will come with onsite case managers to help residents connect with the resources
they want and need.

According to mnhomeless.org, the most recent study found more than 9,000 people in Minnesota are homeless! How do we provide a place for the most vulnerable among us to find light in the darkness, and understand what God is doing in the world? Jesus commands us to love one another. Maybe love for our neighbors starts with a space for them to be warm, to feel safe, and to thrive as God’s people. Beacon’s vision is that all people have a home, and Mount Calvary is grateful to be part of that vision.

If you would like to learn more about Beacon Interfaith’s Housing First campaign, please read their Executive Director’s blog at www.beaconinterfaith.org/blog/housingfirst.