ACL’s Move-In Ministry served its 100th household in February of this year. People exiting homelessness – individuals and families – have received beds, living room furniture, kitchen tables and chairs, pots and pans, and other household items. Many have expressed their gratitude as a mostly empty apartment becomes “home” while dressers, washing machines, and boxes of plates and glasses cross their apartment’s threshold.
ACL’s Move-In Ministry team, fueled by the strength and commitment of a dozen volunteers, is the only group doing this type of service in Austin on a weekly basis. From my perspective as ACL’s Director – and as coordinator of the Move-In Ministry – this effort thrives because of some of the best teamwork and partnerships I’ve seen in more than 30 years as a pastor.
Two years ago, the move-in team of St. Martin’s Lutheran Church showed ACL’s fledgling team how they’ve helped teenagers exiting foster care transition to independent living by providing furniture and household items. The team at St. Martin’s has served more than 175 households, including a number of refugee families, in the past eight years.
At the same time, Holy Cross Lutheran Church provided storage areas for ACL’s new Move-In Ministry. As this ministry has expanded, Holy Cross has provided an additional room where the team fixes furniture, determines that household items and TVs function properly, and boxes items such as bed linens, silverware, and kitchen cookware for easy retrieval and more efficient delivery.
We’ve partnered with Sunrise Navigation Center, Foundation for the Homeless, and other services providers to connect with people exiting homelessness. Most of the time, these service providers walk alongside their clients (the technical term is “supportive housing“) to connect them to resources and additional services.
We’ve encountered recipients dealing with various misfortunes that caused them to be unhoused – domestic violence, medical hardships, addiction, poverty. Each one of this disparate group we’ve served has this in common: to reestablish their lives. The Move-In Ministry team steps in with furniture and household items for these folks who have extremely limited resources. We’ve had some recipients tell us that it had been months and (for some) years since they slept on a good bed. We often assist moms with younger children.
Participating in this ministry helps to give perspective. Every one of our team members has their own reasons why they’re committed to this effort. Some want to do something of good purpose in retirement. Others want to be on the solution end to the homelessness problem in Austin. All of our team members agree that Austin becomes a better place when basic resources are shared in a purposeful manner.
And that’s precisely the point: We couldn’t do what we do without our numerous donors of furniture and household items, and our financial supporters! These participants have been incredibly generous and giving. Why have a garage sale or go through the trouble of selling something on Facebook Marketplace when you could donate it to help someone reestablish their lives? And the move-in team comes to your doorstep to pick up (we call it “harvesting”) your donations!
The Move-In Ministry team served 72 individuals and families in 2023 – more than one per week. We’re on a similar trajectory for 2024. Unfortunately, homelessness isn’t going away anytime soon in Austin. The lead providers we partner with neither are going away nor giving up. Together, we will continue to provide a sense of “home” for people rebuilding their lives.
As Jesus said, “Whatever you did for the least of one these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).