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Homelessness

Local Church
Unhoused women wait for the doors to open on the morning of March 28 at First United Methodist Church of Austin, Texas. Each Friday, the women are able to get showers, pick out new clothing from donations the church has collected, have a meal or enjoy the luxury of sleeping in a safe environment. Once a month, they can get their hair washed, cut and styled. Photo by Andrea Turner, UM News.

Church provides pampering for unhoused women

Each Friday is a special day for 30-40 women without housing in Austin, Texas. That’s when they are treated to a spa day ministry hosted by First United Methodist Church.
Social Concerns
Ice Angels volunteers from First United Methodist Church in Moore, Okla., serve lunch one Wednesday every month at a large lot near downtown Oklahoma City. Started by a United Methodist couple, Ice Angels has grown from handing out water to providing food and other services for unsheltered people. Serving (from left) are Monty Bower, Gabriel Krows, Linda Dowling, Linda Starling and Jo Bower. Photo by Boyce Bowdon, UM News.

Ministry begins 15th year of serving the thirsty

Started by a United Methodist couple, Ice Angels has grown from handing out water to unsheltered people under a bridge to providing food and other needed supplies and services with the help of a network of local churches, nonprofits and businesses.
Social Concerns
Clay Apartments in Detroit consists of one two-story building with an elevator and will include 42 one-bedroom units for formerly homeless men and women with special needs. Wespath, the denomination’s pension and benefits agency, invested $805,000 in the building. United Methodists see a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on homelessness as a reason to increase efforts to build more affordable housing. Photo courtesy of Wespath.

US Supreme Court ruling puts focus on housing

United Methodists see reason to increase their efforts to care for homeless people, including building more affordable housing, after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld ordinances that make sleeping outside a crime.
Social Concerns
Jim Patterson. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

What we can, and cannot, do for the homeless

The landmark General Conference that took place April 23-May 3 in Charlotte, North Carolina, was set amongst a thriving downtown with a homeless problem. Those two things are connected if United Methodists are true to their convictions.

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