Chad was a regular at the Sunday morning church service of Sanctuary of Peace, our ecumenical ministry with the poor in downtown Edmonton. My task is to hand out bag lunches to the attendees immediately after the service. I got to liking Chad, a man with bright eyes and a long, wispy white beard. Often, he would ask me for an extra bag “for the Missus.” I would always oblige.

Early in July, we had a slightly longer chat, although it didn’t last too long because a line of people who also wanted lunch stood behind him. I hoped we might have a longer discussion in future weeks.

However, that was the last time I saw Chad. A week later, it was announced that he had died. His death was due to drug poisoning, and he had suffered from schizophrenia. Chad was not technically homeless. He and the Missus had a roof over their heads. However, he had lived in Edmonton’s poorest neighbourhoods for many years, and he associated with those who sleep rough.

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About 15 years ago, I attended a Catholic media convention in New Orleans. One evening I strolled through an area a few blocks from touristy Bourbon Street with two other journalists, one of whom was a Vietnam War veteran. Occasionally, the war vet singled out one or two of the numerous homeless people nearby and saluted them. They saluted back, a sign of the solidarity among old soldiers who shared the experience of military combat.

Those are but two faces of homelessness – one of mental illness, the other of the after-effects of war. Homelessness has many faces. People lack adequate housing due to a vast array of causes, including domestic violence, substance abuse, homophobia, unemployment, poor health care, racial and gender discrimination and urban violence. Twenty per cent of homeless people in the United States are war veterans; 40 per cent identify as LGBTQ.

Those in the latter group, it should be noted, have often been driven from their homes due to “religious rejection.” Their parents reject them because they believe their children are sinners undeserving of acceptance or mercy. LGBTQ youth are eight times more likely to attempt suicide if they have been rejected by their families than those whose parents accept them.

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Last week, Andy Burnham became prime minister of Great Britain. On his way to 10 Downing Street, he dished out breakfasts at a homeless shelter. After being sworn in as prime minister, he said his first priority will be to end “rough sleeping” in Britain. That’s a surprising top priority for a politician. Few votes will come from it, even if his government achieves that objective. 

I was at first skeptical of Burnham being a force for positive social change. Like Canada’s Mark Carney, Burnham is a serious Catholic well-schooled in Catholic social teaching. Prior to entering politics, Carney trumpeted values associated with the Church’s social doctrine. Yet once in power, he made the same old, same-old economics of megaprojects, preparing for war and financial support for the rich his lodestone.

Will Burnham go the same route? Time will tell. However, Carney has spent his adult life walking in the corridors of economic power; Burnham has been mayor of an English city with a high rate of poverty. So often, where you stand determines what you see. If you stand amidst the wealthy and powerful, you will be attuned to their voices. But if you have consistently listened to the poor, you may remember their concerns when you rise to power. 

Burnham’s desire to eradicate “sleeping rough” will not be easily achieved. As I noted above, people become homeless for many reasons. The first thing Burnham should do is to fund affordable housing with proper supports for those living on the street. That will give them a real opportunity to move toward a better life.

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Yet it won’t prevent others from becoming homeless. How does one eliminate the domestic violence, unemployment, parental rejection of their transgender children, and the trauma caused by violence that drives so many people into homelessness?

Eliminating those forces calls for cultural change, a revolution in attitudes. As a people, we must become committed to defending the transcendent dignity of the human person. Pope Leo is offering moral leadership to the world. However, we need similar voices in our towns, neighbourhoods and parishes. At the local level, we must be challenged to know that God’s kingdom is in our midst and to act accordingly.