Not Home. Come Home.

2025 Lenten Reflections

LEAN IN & LEARN

“‘I was in prison, and you visited me.’”

Matthew 25:36b

Illustration by Eunice Sunmie Derksen

LEAN IN & LEARN

Psalm 68:6 says that God “sets the lonely in families, and sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.” Just like the father in the story of the prodigal son, God embraces and welcomes us back home – even after we sin, or break the law, or reject him. His heart is always seeking reconciliation and our full restoration – and his Word tells us he wants to give joy to those who have been in prison.

When someone is released from prison, their first practical need is finding a place to live. Before they can find a job, or address health issues, or think about education or job training, research shows that people first need the stability of a home.  However, the hurdles are enormous.  How do you afford a home without a job? This kind of catch-22  means that formerly incarcerated people are almost 10 times more likely to be homeless than the general public.

Today we will lean in and learn more about housing insecurity and the formerly incarcerated.

Did you know?

More people are incarcerated in the United States than any other country in the world, with a vastly disproportionate impact on urban, poor, and minority populations.

  • In the United States, 700,000 people are released from federal and state prisons each year. For perspective:

    • 700,000 is larger than the population of Vermont or Wyoming in the U.S.

    • 700,000 is about the equivalent of the population of Edmonton, Alberta, in Canada.

Another catch-22: those who were incarcerated are more likely to become unhoused, and those who are unhoused are more likely to become incarcerated, especially in cities where acts of homelessness itself are illegal (such as sleeping in public spaces or asking for money or food). 

Here is one way in which the “revolving door” of prison and homelessness begins:  

  • Someone is released from prison

  • They don’t have family to take them in, or a home to live in

  • They end up on the streets

  • They get arrested for sleeping in public or break parole

  • They go back to prison

And the cycle continues... This leads us to another sobering statistic:

People who have been incarcerated more than once are 13 times more likely to be homeless than the general public.

When we include not just those who are unhoused but also those who are experiencing housing insecurity, the numbers are even higher. The term "housing insecurity" represents any situation where housing is at-risk, including unsheltered homelessness, sheltered homelessness, and marginal housing such as living in a motel.

Housing insecurity includes people who are homeless as well as those living in marginal housing. 570 out of every 10,000 formerly incarcerated people fall into one of these categories, making housing insecurity nearly three times more common than homelessness alone.

Why does it have to be so hard?

The answers are complex.  There are unique challenges facing those who were formerly incarcerated. Discrimination and prejudice are common experiences for those who have been in prison. Job and housing applications often ask about an applicant’s criminal history, and employers and landlords rarely want to hire or lease to someone who has been incarcerated.  Even though a person may have served their sentence, their punishment often continues, unofficially, in this way.

The affordable housing crisis also plays a role in the problem. There are no states in the US where full-time, minimum wage work can cover rent for an unsubsidized, two-bedroom unit. While the rising cost of rent affects most people, it is yet another significant hurdle for those who were formerly incarcerated.

Additionally, there tend to be a number of shared obstacles between those who are housing insecure and those who are formerly incarcerated. Those obstacles include:

  • Higher risk of mental health problems

  • Higher risk of substance abuse

  • Tenuous or non-existent family relationships

These obstacles overlap and create a unique dynamic for each individual facing the loss of "home."

Reflect

When the Prodigal Son returned, his father ran to him in delight, in joy, in love, and in welcome.  How can we have the Father’s heart for those who were formerly incarcerated? 

“He sets the prisoners free and gives them joy” (Psalm 68:6). 

We are called to show the same love of God to those who have been living in bondage, to those who are "not home." May we as the Body of Christ stand in the gap as agents of restoration hope.  

Give

Would you dedicate your Lenten Almsgiving to the Matthew 25 Initiative which enables ACNA parishes to tangibly serve their neighbors in the love of God?