The Messenger
October 14, 2013 Volume XXIII, No. 10 Nationalchurch.org
The Many Faces of Homelessness, Our Multi-faceted Response
Tyler Rusch Homeless Walk Sunday, October 20 10am and 12:30pm
Please join this annual fundraising event that supports Metropolitan House. Registration will be on the Plaza in front of the church. The registration fee is $25 for adults and $15 for children and young people up to age 25. This year, bring your own Tee-shirt!
Each October, our congregation recommits itself to serving the homeless. On October 15, Metropolitan House will reopen its doors. On Sunday, October 20, we will observe Homeless Awareness Sunday and members of our community – young and old – will take part in the Tyler Rusch Homeless Walk to raise both funds and awareness. It is a familiar ritual as both Metropolitan House and our St. Luke’s Shelter have been serving the homeless for twenty-two years! Yet in recent years, we have become increasingly aware of the complexity of the nature of homelessness and our congregation’s response has become more robust and multi-faceted. Three shelters now operate in our buildings – the low-barrier, lifesaving Hypothermia Shelter that operates at St. Luke’s when temperatures fall below freezing; Metropolitan House serving men seeking a more stable and secure shelter setting; and St. Luke’s Shelter which now focuses exclusively on moving homeless men into employment and permanent housing. It is, in essence, a continuum of care addressing a range of different needs. Our Grate Patrol team, launched in 2011, now works the frontline of homeless outreach, delivering meals to those living on the streets. It recently celebrated two years of service and 25,000 meals served. And this year, together with several other local congregations, we sponsored the second annual Winter Warmth event at the St. Luke’s Mission Center to provide warm clothing and a warm meal to those in need. While our primary mission has been serving homeless men, who constitute the overwhelming majority of the homeless in our part of the city, we are also increasingly aware that homelessness has many faces – veterans, immigrants, families, women, children, and youth. Through our mutual connection as members of the Washington Interfaith Network, Metropolitan advocated successfully for the restoration of funding for the Sasha Bruce Youthworks and other programs serving homeless teens. And with our partners at Brighter Day, we are pressing city and federal officials to renovate 266 units of affordable housing at the abandoned Parkway Overlook complex.
Same day registration on the plaza!
This expanding matrix of activities provides a multitude of ways that each of us can engage in efforts to serve the homeless and work toward the elimination of homelessness – whether it is making sandwiches for the Grate Patrol, bringing a meal to St. Luke’s or Metro House, serving as an overnight volunteer at Metro House, or joining our advocacy efforts. You can learn more about these activities at nationalchurch.org/ Serving. As we enter this season of renewed awareness and commitment, please give some time to support this critical aspect of our mission.
Sasha Bruce Youthworks Awarded the Tyler Rusch Help the Homeless Award
Each year in conjunction with the Tyler Rusch walk, the Metropolitan House Board awards the Tyler Rusch Award to an individual or organization demonstrating exemplary service to the homeless. This year, it will be awarded to Sasha Bruce Youthworks, an organization that has been sheltering and assisting homeless youth in our city for almost 40 years.