Abstract
In early 2011, the To Our House (TOH) thermal shelter program opened its doors to homeless men in the New River Valley Area (NRV) of Virginia . The program was a grass roots response to the death of a wellknown local homeless man and the goal of the program is to provide winter shelter for single adult men by using rotating host sites at local churches . We highlight that in the NRV local churches have sought to remedy a socially unjust situation by providing shelter for men that was previously unavailable . We illustrate that faith-based outreach in the New River Valley can be viewed as positive compassionate outreach by a caring community . While acknowledging the benefits of this compassionate outreach to more than 25 men in the NRV, we also offer a cautionary note regarding the dilemmas of this outreach suggesting that it has the potential to mask the problems of the local housing market
Recommended Citation
Oliver, Robert; Robinson, Matthew; and Koebel, C. Theodore
(2015)
"Compassionately Hidden: The Church Telling Local Homeless to “Come to Our House”,"
The Geographical Bulletin: Vol. 56:
Iss.
1, Article 2.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/thegeographicalbulletin/vol56/iss1/2