Lessons from the Tuesday Kitchen - Lesson 3

Re-define 'homeless'.

Most people think of someone who is homeless as a tramp who sleeps in a cardboard box or under a park bench. Think again. In an age when councils have obligations to house people, relationship breakdowns and the general chaos of a fragmented society we look to see what the needs of now are. "Sofa surfers" stay a few days sleeping on the couch of anyone who will let them, often being turfed out at night. Young people may find a place in a hostel but without cooking facilities. Those in temporary B&B have limited use of a kitchen, if at all. Many on the margins have never cooked a proper meal and don't know where to start once their circumstances have changed. The need is more than a bed and a roof and, through the Tuesday Kitchen, we respond as best we can. Here are our guidelines:

• Those that come are not guests, clients or service users nor are they labelled 'poor, needy, homeless. Our first response is not distrust. They are friends.
• We don't pry into their lives, past or present. We are happy to listen when they want to talk. From there we discover about other needs: clothes, alcohol problems, family strife.
• We sit and eat with them. We are not a cafe, we do not dole out food. These are our friends. We sit with them and chat and share a meal. We didn't to begin with but Paula said that Jesus did - his wisdom is now apparent (as is hers!).

Neither are we stupid and gullible. We meet the need when we feel it is genuine and, yes, sometimes we get bitten by it. But I will be happier to hear Jesus say to me "You gave me too much" than "You gave me too little!"

Ricky came to us from the local youth refuge. He was very suspicious wanting to know why we were making notes of names (just so that we know who we have had a chat to), talking very little, peeking out from behind his mop of hair. But I remember the day we served roast chicken, veg and stuffing. He looked up, his face glowing as he said "Stuffing! I can't remember the last time I had stuffing" and he tucked in. For him, this was a little bit of home, perhaps of a happier time. We are glad that we could recreate something of that sense of belonging for him. Ricky has moved on, we wish him well, and we know he will remember his time at The Salvation Army and the people who try to live out a little bit of the Kingdom.