MOVE-IN MINISTRY COMBATS HOMELESSNESS
I’ve heard the statement numerous times as I’ve visited ACL congregations: “Pastor Tim, I’d like to get involved in a ministry effort that actually does something about homelessness in Austin.”
We’ve found our niche: Move-In Ministry. We gather furniture and other household items from church members and neighbors in Austin, store them, and then deliver them to people exiting homelessness. ACL established this ministry in 2022.
By the end of 2024, we will have carried out close to 200 move-ins, serving individuals and families with needed items that help them feel “at home.” A huge thanks to ACL congregation Holy Cross for providing two areas on their campus for us to store furniture. And another large dose of thanks to ACL congregation Triumphant Love for granting $2,500 from its endowment fund for ACL to purchase new mattresses.
Items we collect: kitchen tables and chairs, couches and living room furniture, dressers, simple bed frames, small bookshelves, end tables; pots and pans, silverware, cookware, towels, and bed linens. (We do not take china cabinets, entertainment centers, sleeper sofas, or other large furniture items.)
I receive email inquiries from homelessness service providers (Sunrise Navigation Center, Foundation for the Homeless, and others), and our teams typically respond within three weeks supplying most all of a client’s requested furniture and household items. Most of the people we serve are in a minimum year-long supportive relationship with their provider; again, we help them to feel as if they’ve made it “home.”
Do you have a pickup truck and free time during weekday mornings? Do you have organizational skills? Do you have a (relatively) good back and strong legs? Are you good at fixing used furniture? Do you have furniture or household items to donate? We could use you in this ministry!
– Pastor Tim Anderson, Director of Community Development for ACL
Contact me to join in these efforts.
Check out Norma’s story from a move-in earlier this year.
History: The article and video below give some context on how far ACL has come in its efforts to combat homelessness. Thanks be to God for direction and guidance!
ACL leaders and members participated in a second “summit meeting” on Wednesday, November 17, 2021 to strategize together on this new ministry effort.
We welcomed special guests Pastor Mark Hilbelink of the Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center and Kevin Kersten of LINC-Austin to share their “on the ground” perspectives about homelessness ministry. Travis County Commissioner and ACL member Ann Howard, the former director of ECHO – Austin’s lead coalition to combat homelessness – also joined us.
To watch the video recording of the November 17th meeting, click here. The passcode is Z0#mpame
Contact Pastor Tim Anderson, ACL Director of Community Development, if you have any questions about this discussion.
The video below helps explain Austin City Lutherans’ commitment to serve and walk alongside low-income individuals and families through its multiple ministry efforts.