Homelessness Sunday 2004 - Building Justice – yes we can!
Homelessness Sunday 2004 Building Justice – yes we can! was inspired by Jesus’ dramatic announcement at the start of His ministry that He came to restore society as well as to save individuals. Jesus offers both the vision and the tools to rebuild a damaged society.
Homeless people are some who suffer most from the damage inflicted by the way our society works today – a society which values what we consume, not what we build; a society in which it is what we can get that counts, not what we can give; a society in which one’s house may be a capital asset as much as a place of sanctuary or of hospitality.
The churches represent an alternative to that. We recognise that there is more to life than the material, that each person is valued by God, and should thus be valued by their fellow-beings. Homelessness Sunday sought to celebrate and strengthen that alternative – with a vision which brings good news, not exclusion, to the poor, and with tools which equip us to build that vision.
Struggling to eat well
To mark Homelessness Sunday 2004 Housing Justice carried out research which found that the majority of homeless people have to choose between eating or paying for other essentials.
The survey, Struggling to eat well, asked how easy it is for homeless people to maintain a healthy diet. It found that three out of four (77%) have to make difficult decisions between buying food or using their limited resources on other essentials. Over half of the people Housing Justice talked to at day centres in London , the north, south and south west of England had to make that choice several times a week. See Struggling to eat well. Homelessness and healthy eating for the full results.
Press coverage
We had successful press coverage in Guardian Online, The Universe, Reform, Christian Herald, Baptist Times, Methodist Recorder, Church of England Newspaper, Property People, Inside Housing and a host of local papers nationwide.