Inner City Mission has been blessed to work with the homeless in our community since 1984. Connie and I came into the ministry in 1996. Working directly and over time with so many homeless and impoverished individuals and families has taught us so much!
We originally believed homelessness to be about A lack of housing, employment, or money. This is a common perception. Experience has shown us the primary cause of homelessness is a lack of Relational Resources.
In our country, traditional family units are breaking down with increasing measure. As a consequence, homelessness is growing more than ever. The ones who are most vulnerable are the children. Their lives move from one chaotic event to the next where abuse, neglect, and self-loathing become the hallmark.
They search for anything to relieve their pain—drugs, alcohol, and sex being just a few of the dulling agents. One fix leads to the next and homelessness is the outcome. Without intervention, the homelessness cycles from generation to generation.
Our hope with the resources on this website is for you to recognize homelessness as it really is in our community, and to understand what can truly make a difference. We hope to initiate a paradigm shift in the way people view and approach homelessness. Homelessness doesn’t have to be a life sentence!
Scott & Connie Payne