Researchers at Baylor University have released the findings of a new study that looked at the number of “emergency shelter beds” for the homeless across 11 major U.S. cities, and found hat 60% were provided through faith-based organizations.
The researchers cautioned that each city was different, and director of Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion told the National Press Club that “Not one size fits all.” However, there was one other interesting takeaway when it comes to the role of faith-base organizations [FBO] and helping homeless individuals:
Cities with a higher percentage of FBO-provided ES beds correlate with relatively lower percentages of unsheltered homeless individuals.
They also found that eradicating homelessness may involve more than just economic solutions. From the study:
What Government agencies and Public Policy makers see as the cause of homelessness; namely, the lack of housing, many FBOs see as a symptom of a deeper problem. As one FBO service provider told us: “People don’t become homeless when they run out of money, at least not right away. They become homeless when they run out of relationships.”
