If you're looking for assistance, my general recommendation is to first check with an Episcopal or United Church of Christ parish, and see where they point you.

I know that, up here in Seattle, the parish we currently attend is part of an ecumenical group of churches in the University District that try to coordinate social services. One of the things our parish does is open the undercroft/parish hall to the homeless to spend the night. There are other services offered by the other member churches. Hopefully, there will be something like that near where you live.

One thing's for sure: if I went to a church for help and was told to "turn to God" without being given any assistance, I'd walk away from that church A.S.A.P., wiping the dust from my shoes as I left. Although I don't have the time to look it up right now, I believe that the Letter of James has a scathing passage about those who tell a poor person "be warm and well-fed" without doing anything to help them themselves.

I want to thank you for your suggestion. I will check into it as soon as I can. I feel our environment (and culturaly speaking) is an environment where "people" make the difference--with the exception of China--we all work together. I am also in this forum because I want to see what is said about the bible. I have many doubts about what I have heard. In other words, I'm investigating--which is my nature. In my 50+ years, I seem to question everything.

It was followers of Calvin who brought to the world the idea that there are *worthy* needy and *unworthy* needy, and that charity should be institutionalized and regimented so that the *unworthy* wouldn't simply rely on handouts.

And so you see the industry that charity has become. Simple helping-hand charity one person to another has become more rare. And many churches simply refer the needy to government programs for help.

I'm remembering a sermon I heard in a Baptist church some years ago. The story was about a woman of comfortable means who had run into an old friend of hers on a downtown street -- but the old friend was a bag lady; homeless and truly down and out. Well! The comfortable person did a magnificent Christian thing in her mind. She took the old friend for some food, and bought her a blanket and clean clothes and gave her a bit of money. And that was the end of the sermon. Praise be!

I took issue with the message. What did Jesus teach about this kind of charity? The proper thing to do would have been to take that woman to her home, clothe her in her own clothes, feed her the best dinner, and generally just take her in.

Not only did Jesus preach sacrificial charity -- charity without any expectation of return or repayment -- but he preached that his followers should extend that kind of charity even to STRANGERS. Treat strangers as if they were brothers.

Most of us are so far from that model of how to live in this world....

I can tell you, friend, that Christians and their Calvinism have largely turned me against religion. I have only found a few people who really, truly, understood their human obligation to each brother and sister.

And as times get harder and harder for so many people, too many stubborn people continue to refuse to lend a helping hand to those in need. They've been told that needy people are somehow deficient and unworthy. (Forgetting that "losers" were the people Jesus loved most.)

Did any of that make sense?

Please look for some help. It may not be as close as your closest church, but keep trying. We are always here to listen and offer whatever suggestions we can find.

He knew and told me about these kinds of questions. I remember hearing about false profits. I have no respect for hypocrites. I am not opposed to being a part of an organization, its just that I don't know who to trust. And when people in need turn to a "church" and are misled, who knows what the effects of misleading can result in. I went to a Unitarian church once. Might look for another sometime, but now is crunch-time personally. BTW, I'm in Sac-Davis area. Been to Opera House a couple of times to see two good jazz shows: Boney James, and another occasion Pat Metheny Group.

Sacramento Loaves and Fishes

http://www.sacloaves.org/programs

Sacramento California Homeless Shelters & Services For The Needy

http://www.homelessshelterdirectory.org/cgi-bin/id/city.cgi?city=Sacramento&state=CA

Along with other notable jobs, grin, worked three + years for FirstCallForHelp via United Way. WHen I left the entire FCFH was in the start of switching over to a 2-1-1, don't know how far it has spread. So call FCFH whereever you may be.

STAY in one County. Ramsey Co.(MN) used to give folks a bus pass to Mpls, Hennepin Co.
Which left the person on the other end of the phone hearing the only solution was to get a bus pass, and ask for transfers each time boarding a bus. Ask me how it made me feel.

Typically Counties fund Shelters. So apply for Assistance immediately. Food and monetary. Up front the monetary will, if granted, not change the situation. Its like a bandaid to stop a major bleed. THIS gets you in the system rolls.

Churches do have shelters. Some do insist you attend a program, but this is told beforehand. Salvation Army has a major role in shelters. Depends on what you feel about a "program", and it also depends on the weather!

Do NOT take anything you will lay down into the shelter with you, its not to be mean, but it is from three years of doing Information and Referral.

FIND your sense of humor, some place you can go mentally and build all the cynical, sarcastic, ridiculous humor within.

The Homeless have entire communities.

AS for how you feel about God, that is up to you alone. STILL it wouldn't hurt to ask.

Salvation Army offered, at least back then, a more secure and energizing way to leave the homelessness behind.

You are in my prayers, I'm pretty good at annoying the Creator I happen to believe in.

See if 2-1-1 is linked in there. Should be by now.

You're near my hometown, but Yuba and Sutter Counties aren't the most ...well, stay in Sac.
There's a reason its called Goat Ropers.

UC Davis campus has to have access to info. BUT do apply at Dept. Human Services.
FIND the Salvation Army.

My homeless stint was in Scuba Duba Yuba, in my car along the river. Didn't know there was a community to be part of or at least get info through.

Most Methodists churches will also help, and without expecting you "ask God". (This isn't 100%-some try to do their own thing and not what is expected of them. For the most progressive of the UMC look into the Reconciling Ministries-a Google search will lead you there.)

Truthfully, most won't ask you to "look towards God" or anything like it-even some of the more conservative churches. Of course, that's never 100%-some of the more right wing will try to force it. Most will speak with you, many will probably want to pray with you but not necessarily in an offensive way, nor in a way that is meant to offend.

Some areas have a ministerial alliance instead of direct services from one church. Ministerial alliances work together, placing all of their funds in one large pot, hoping that the combination will do the most good. In cases like that it's best to just walk in to any open church and ask for help-either they'll help or direct you to where help can be found. In some cases, they will provide the transport for you to get to the correct location.

If all you really need is a shoulder most churches can help and will be able to listen or direct you to where you need to go. Few will really even think of turning someone away if they need help.

We served Sunday breakfast before services - no obligations to stay for church, just come and get a hot meal. We had a charitable donations room that was open daily and we provided water and a place to stay during the heat of the summer. The only thing we asked of any of our neighbors was to be respectful and not disruptive.
The only time we ever asked anyone to stay (and even then didn't enforce it too much) was for our Wednesday bible study and dinner - and honestly I think that was more because it came out of the education ministry budget and not the homeless outreach budget.

no questions asked. The only requirement is that you dine in, instead of taking them to go. (We have meals on Wednesdays open to all with a small fee-cheaper than fast food-and take out is available. This same meal is also available free of charge for anyone who walks in and says they'd like it. It's also available to our local university students for $1.00.)

Our church is always open during daytime hours for anyone who needs it and during inclement weather it's open constantly. We are a cooling station when it's too hot, a storm shelter for those who need it (tornadoes, country floods, severe thunderstorms), and we open during heavy snow/ice storms/extreme cold. They're members of the local ministerial alliance and more than a few members of our church are also volunteers with the local homeless organizations, trying to find a new location for another shelter.

They also offer things like underpants, storybooks, and dental kits to the local Head Start, send regular volunteers to the local food pantry, and so much more. There are some churches that give the rest a bad name. I can't think of all that many who would ever turn someone away if they needed help, even if they never had any plans of attending. Those that do get all the attention, which is quite unfortunate.