LoveINC’s Response to Homelessness

By Robin Keating

This month, we are exploring how our hearts should respond to those who are living unsheltered or houseless. Now, let’s consider the specific ways Love INC of Clackamas County supports neighbors experiencing homelessness.

Love INC focuses on providing what we call “gap services”—assistance not already offered by other organizations in the area. These services are designed specifically for neighbors who are housed, as our county already has several nonprofits addressing the immediate needs of those living unsheltered with compassion and dignity. When an unhoused neighbor contacts us seeking housing, meals, or showers, we refer them to organizations best equipped to help. But our care doesn’t stop there. We take time to listen to their stories, affirm their worth as individuals made in the image of God, and assure them that when they do find housing, we will be here—ready to walk with them into the next chapter of their lives.

One of the most significant challenges for those transitioning from homelessness into housing is the need for a new, supportive community. In our experience, newly housed neighbors often face unfamiliar obstacles—paying bills, cooking meals, maintaining a home, and navigating how to use their time in a healthy and purposeful way. When these individuals reach out to the Love INC Connection Center, we’re able to offer essential items such as furniture, firewood, and cleaning supplies through local churches. These practical supports ease the financial strain of starting over and, more importantly, serve as the first of many relational touchpoints with the local church.

We also invite them to participate in our Healthy Habits program, which helps individuals move from a life of survival to one of holistic health—physically, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually—rooted in the hope found in Christ.

When I first joined Love INC, I brought with me over a decade of experience working with people experiencing homelessness. I had seen firsthand the importance of meeting immediate needs with compassion and dignity, but I often found myself asking, “And then what?” What is the next step for the people we serve—and for the church? How do we walk with someone from survival to flourishing? These questions are at the heart of Love INC’s mission.

At our Connection Center, when someone living on the streets calls in, the first thing we do is listen—deeply and without judgment. We offer referrals to trusted local agencies who can help with immediate needs, we pray with them, and then we plant a seed of hope: that when they find housing, we will be ready and waiting to help them make their new place a home. More than just offering material support, we offer the assurance that they are not alone and that the church is prepared to walk alongside them in love.

This is the heart of Love INC—to see each person not just in their current circumstance, but as a whole, beloved individual created in the image of God. Whether someone is living on the streets or newly housed, our response is rooted in dignity, compassion, and the deep belief that transformation is possible when we walk together in Christ-centered community.

Psalm 68:6 tells us that God puts the solitary into families. This is the goal of Love INC through our church partners. We connect the churches with their neighbors in need, not just to provide “stuff”, but to provide new healthy relationships, spiritual care and confident hope found through a personal relationship with Jesus. In fact, Love INC of Clackamas County offers our Healthy Habits program that brings together Christians from different churches to walk with people that want to make a change in their life.

At the heart of homelessness is a desire to be seen, loved, accepted and safe.