Breaking Cycles of Poverty and Crime Through Compassion

By Stuart Smith

It is important in this month’s topic to resist the temptation in thinking that poverty equals crime. And all those in poverty have or will commit a crime of some kind in their life. The truth is every class (socio-economic), race, and culture, has to deal with crime. Rich and poor commit crimes in our cities and neighborhoods.

Most of us have people we can turn to when life gets hard. I know I do. Friends, family, and mentors help carry the weight when pressures rise. Even when stress comes, it rarely feels crushing. Life’s challenges arrive in waves that I can usually manage.

But imagine life without that support. No trusted friend to call. No resource to lean on when bills pile up or a crisis hits. For many living in poverty, the weight of life’s pressures is constant and suffocating. When there seems to be no way forward, desperation can take over. And desperation often leads to choices that harm both the individual and the community.

It’s not hard to see why some feel backed into a corner and turn to crime. When a wealthy person commits a crime, we often judge their motives through one lens. When a struggling neighbor commits a crime, we judge through another. The truth is that poverty doesn’t excuse crime, but it does explain why people are more vulnerable to it.

That’s why our response matters. At Love INC, we walk with neighbors in need to break cycles of poverty that fuel desperation and crime. By building trust, offering resources, and connecting people to healthy relationships, we create space for hope where despair once ruled. Poverty and crime are deeply connected in our community, but so are compassion and transformation.

Now let’s consider what we can do…

Let’s keep it simple.

• People have stories. We need to listen and learn before we apply judgment, training, or correction. When you volunteer on the phones at Love INC, you are trained in a nearly forgotten art—listening (yes, sarcasm intended). What we’ve found is this: when someone feels heard, the pressure that might push them toward a destructive choice is lifted.
  The reality is that crime rooted in poverty will not be solved by a single program or a one-time act of generosity. It takes consistent, intentional effort from all of us. We can be the people who show up, who see the bigger picture, and who help write a different ending for someone’s story.

• Meet people with grace and see their potential. This does not mean ignoring the wrong but recognizing that people are more than their past, present, or future actions. We love the stories of those who rise from hardship to become community champions—but remember, each of them had guides who saw what they could become.
  God knows your sin, but He sees His child. In our Healthy Habits program on Thursdays at 6 p.m., we look beyond the external and affirm the potential within each person.

• Connect the community. When you serve your neighbors in need within your own neighborhood, you become invested in each other’s well-being. You learn of needs early on and can help take proactive steps toward healthier decisions.
  At the Love INC call center, when requests come in, we coordinate acts of service — often right in the individual’s home. This act of care from a neighbor shifts perspectives, building trust and reshaping the story for both the one served and the one serving.

I want to encourage you: serve with Love INC. You may be the very person who listens, learns, loves, and lifts someone toward a brighter future.