Carla was number 31. Carla was the last person to be welcomed to the seasonal low barrier shelter in Billings the night I was volunteering. She was pushing her life’s possessions on her wheelchair: a stuffed unicorn, some bedding, a small tote, a bag of medicine, and an oxygen tank. She was so excited that she was number 31; “Lucky 31,” she said as I escorted her to her cot in the nursery of a local church. She was referencing that unless you were number 31 or less, you would have to sleep on the streets.
Traditionally an additional warming shelter (that accommodates 100 people) opens during the harshest winter months in Yellowstone County to protect our unhoused neighbors. This year it was different; there was a new fire inspector who limited the number of churches that could offer temporary housing during the winter based on the antiquated fire sprinkler systems, limited egress options, and code interpretation. (A bill in the MT legislature has since been passed to prevent this from happening again).
I could write an entire article about how churches have housed youth groups, Family Promise, and other unhoused neighbors for decades without a challenge, but this story is about Carla and others who face challenges every day trying to do their best with limited resources, health issues, and mental health concerns.
Once Carla was settled in, she joined the 30 others for an abundant, healthy meal (hosted by a different church). Then a nurse navigator empathetically visited with each guest to determine immediate health concerns and other ways the nonprofit community could support provide support. We all know there is so much more to a person’s health besides just access and affordability to medical and dental health.
There is growing recognition that differences in community conditions are directly tied to significant disparities in health outcomes. It is telling that only 20 percent of our health is shaped by clinical care, while 50 percent is determined by social and economic factors and the physical environment and 30 percent by our individual behaviors.
Health justice believes that everyone deserves equal rights and opportunities, AND the right to good health. Health equality means giving everyone the same thing. Health equity means giving each person what they need so they can access the same level of care. Health justice advocates act to identify and remove obstacles. That is exactly what the nurse navigator did to help Carla. This was not Carla’s first time at the temporary shelter. She couch-surfs occasionally, and her mental health issues don’t allow her to work. She is reliant on community assistance for meals, clothing, and transportation to/from medical appointments.
Nonmedical factors can influence health outcomes and serve as obstacles to health equity: socioeconomic status, age, geography, language, gender, disability status, citizenship status, race, and sexual identity and orientation. These are called social determinants of health.
Long before the pandemic, churches have long provided the practical and spiritual support to generations of people historically denied access to health resources. Our faith community not only cares and feeds our unhoused neighbors, but some congregations have rallied to help remove obstacles to health such as poverty, discrimination, lack of access to good jobs with fair pay, quality education, housing, and health care.
So how can your church engage more in health justice? In any given community, for example, your local United Way and Public Health Department will know where unhoused individuals most often go to seek shelter, what exactly is keeping people from accessing a well-intentioned philanthropic or government program, and how long it takes an average family to travel to the grocery store, visit a doctor, or find a park. This gives us unparalleled access to information about the underlying factors of community needs that, if addressed effectively, can change lives. You may consider representing your church by joining a housing, food insecurity, or mental health coalition. Coalitions and civic engagement are a part of the fabric of community, and part of what it takes to build stronger communities. Coming together around shared purpose and collective action gives participants a sense of meaningful engagement and is an important component of lasting community change.
As Methodists, we are committed to creating opportunities for mental, physical, and spiritual health for everyone. We want to reduce substance misuse, ensure safe births and good nutrition, promote wellness, improve health education, and access to care. We want to save lives through prevention and treatment. Congregational Health Ministry is “the promotion of health and healing as part of the mission and ministry of a faith community to its members and the community it serves.” It is people caring for people in each of the five dimensions of well-being—physical, emotional, spiritual, social, and financial. The roots of health ministry are not in science, but in being faithful to Jesus’ call to preach, teach, and heal.
In my work with United Way of Yellowstone County, I see every day how collaboration between healthcare organizations, nonprofits, and groups organized around faith can improve a community’s access to and quality of care, as well as educate and empower individuals. Our staff recently completed an Autism Training course to better understand and welcome autistic or sensory-sensitive clients. This is the first step to helping create an inclusive community. We wanted to make sure our employees who work with neurodiverse populations have the tools and training to create programs where our clients can feel welcomed and understood. Perhaps your church members working with diverse populations could participate in the training, too?
The last several years have exposed deep fault lines in our society. As our problems become increasingly complex, so do their solutions. There is no silver bullet that will solve systemic problems like inequality, homelessness, or poverty. It starts by reimagining philanthropy to focus on the place where all of our global ills and solutions ultimately begin: community. Communities are the cornerstone of society. If we want to solve community problems, we should not only listen to the community but ensure that people reflect the voices and experiences of those we serve. How does your church reflect the people you seek to serve?
It starts by reimagining philanthropy to focus on the place where all of our global ills and solutions ultimately begin: community. Communities are the cornerstone of society. If we want to solve community problems, we should not only listen to the community but ensure that people reflect the voices and experiences of those we serve. How does your church reflect the people you seek to serve?
Tap into your church’s unique power in your community — the power to serve as a convener, an influencer, an arbiter of resources — and lift your voice in solidarity with those who don’t have one. Let’s band together and help people like Carla thrive.
Originally published by the Mountain Sky Annual Conference June 12, 2023. Republished with permission by ResourceUMC June 28, 2023.