People leaving prison; refugees; victims of abuse and prostitution.
All struggle to find a home, to build relationships, to get back on
their feet. The root cause of homelessness is relational: the
homeless suffer not just the lack of a roof, but a lack of love.
But what if someone could provide not only a home, but also a
network? Real people, who knew what they were doing, and who cared?
In 2007 Ed Walker published with Monarch Books a book called
Reflections from the Scorched Earth. It described his nine years of
living and working in six distinct war zones - notably in Darfur -
as a Christian humanitarian aid worker with Tearfund. Returning to
the UK, Ed worked for the YMCA for three years. But before long Ed
and Rachel felt the call to start a genuinely Christian charity
working with ex-offenders and the homeless. The private rental
sector was out of reach for many, and government provision was
horribly inadequate. Both problems have grown massively in the
subsequent years. Scraping together every penny they could find, in
2010 the young couple set up a charity, Hope into Action, invested
GBP30,000 in a house and bought the first home for the homeless in
partnership with their church. This charity has now grown to 51
homes across fifteen towns and cities. Hope into Action have won
numerous awards both secular and Christian (they won the Guardian's
Public Service Award in 2017, and an award from the Centre for
Social Justice). The vision is simple, but devastatingly effective.
It provides a vehicle for Christians with money to invest in
housing stock, with a modest but guaranteed return. Once funds in a
locality are available, and in partnership with a local church, HiA
will select a suitable house, which is refurbished as necessary.
Together with the local church, the members of which will receive
training from HiA in befriending and providing guidance, HiA will
select suitable tenants. HiA provide case workers to monitor,
smooth understanding, provide support and impose discipline. The
churches offer friendship and local contacts. The underlying vision
is not simply to help the marginalised, but to enable churches.
Tenants come from a variety of backgrounds. Some are men coming out
of prison and stuck in hostels. Some are recommended by social
services, others by refugee agencies. In the last year HiA have
provided homes for refugees fleeing from Sudan and Darfur, the
Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Syria, and Iran. The results
to date have been impressive, bearing in mind that many of those
helped have multiple personal challenges. In the annual statement
for 2017 Hope into Action report that 87% of tenants succeeded in
maintaining their tenancies; 89% of those who had been in custody
refrained from crime; 81% of those with addictions reduced or
ceased their drug use; 82% reported improved relations with their
families; 47% were involved in volunteering, education or training;
and 23% had found a job. There is no requirement upon tenants to
have any kind of faith (and many clients are Muslim refugees) but
many do become believers. There have been endless teething
problems. Relationships have broken down. Tenants who seemed well
on the way to recovery and stability have gone completely off the
rails. Money has been tight. Most notably however, Ed and his small
team have seen God move and provide in amazing, multiple ways. "We
have seen miracles, healings, conversions, churches transformed,"
Ed comments. "I have also gone through some major heart-breaks and
dangerous situations, but through it all God has been faithful."
Hope into Action tells Ed's story of faith and struggle as he and
his wife saw the need, felt the call and stepped out in faith,
developed a new theology of sharing and saw both tragic and
wonderful results. It explains how we meet and grow in Christ as we
interact with those in the shadows and those hidden in darkness.
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