Connie and I came into the ministry in the early 1990s. Working directly with homeless and impoverished people over the years has taught us so much. When we first started, we believed homelessness was the result of a lack of housing, employment, or money, which was the common perception. Experience, however, has shown us that the primary cause of homelessness is actually the lack of relational resources.

When we examine our country, we find that family units are breaking down with an increasing measure causing homelessness to grow year after year despite the billions being poured out to ‘fix' it. We wish it were as easy as giving people houses, jobs, money, etc., because then we would no longer have a homeless problem. In reality, broken relational resources are leaving people in a shattered state of existence.

The ones who are most vulnerable are the children because their lives move from one chaotic event to the next where abuse, neglect, and self-loathing become all they know. They are shaped by this trauma and grow up searching for anything to relieve their pain, often turning to drugs, alcohol, and sex. One fix leads to the next and homelessness is the outcome. Before they know it they are raising kids of their own in the same broken reality that they were shaped by.

Without intervention, homelessness cycles from generation to generation pulling more people into its horrific realities. Our hope with the resources on this website is for you to see homelessness for what it truly is in our community and to understand what can make a difference in the lives of those trapped in it. We hope to initiate a paradigm shift in the way people view and approach homelessness altogether because homelessness doesn’t have to be a life sentence.

       — Scott Payne

            ICM Executive Director

Many people in America find the term ‘homelessness’ puzzling because it historically has been used to describe the entirety of breakdowns within human habitation; people without housing for any reason are considered to be ‘homeless’.

This one-size-fits-all understanding does not work because of the multidimensional realities that exist whenever human habitation is fractured. First, however, the pivotal role that personal resources play in stable habitation must be understood.

These are the set of resources that every individual requires to have stability in their own lives. Relational, Inner, Material, and Outside resources create a foundation where stability can be cultivated and maintained despite crisis or calamity arising.

A common question heard over the years is, “Why do some people get back on their feet after a crisis while others do not?” Experience has shown that every person has “personal resources” they draw upon to maintain stability in their own lives. When these resources are broken or nonexistent then fractured habitation is often the result.

RELATIONAL RESOURCES
These are the significant people in a person’s life who become a support system when times get tough or crisis takes place. Parents, family, or friends with whom the person has a healthy, positive relationship are relational resources.

INNER RESOURCES
The unique blend of individual characteristics that make each person one-of-a-kind. Temperament, IQ, morals, values, and ethics are just a few of resources that positively impact a person.

MATERIAL RESOURCES
The assets that a person owns and has control of, such as material possessions, savings accounts, insurance, and cash are examples.

OUTSIDE RESOURCES
Any type of aid provided to a person by non-related sources such as government agencies, non-profit agencies, churches, or individual advocates.

In society today individuals without housing — despite the reason — are considered homeless which too broadly encompasses the entirety of breakdowns within human habitation. A finer distinction allows us to better help people move from chaos to stability.