Not Home. Come Home.
2025 Lenten Reflections
ANGLICANS ON THE STREETS
Illustration by Eunice Sunmie Derksen
ANGLICANS ON THE STREETS
Throughout Lent, we will highlight Anglicans across North America who are doing the work of bringing HOME to those who need it most. At the Matthew 25 Initiative, we regularly tell the stories of these practitioners through a video series called "Anglicans on the Streets." If you would like to learn more about this series and how Anglicans are serving as Jesus' hands and feet among the vulnerable, you can watch these videos here.
Meet Jean Dunham
Dr. Jean Dunham is a child and adolescent psychiatrist in Austin, Texas, who has dedicated her career to supporting at-risk youth. Her extensive experience in both community mental health and the foster care system has exposed her to countless stories of hardship, resilience, and transformation.
What Does "Home" Mean When it's a Shattered Reality?
Jean defines "home" as so much more than a physical space; it embodies safety, stability, and belonging. Many of the children she serves lack a safe or consistent home, moving from placement to placement. For many of the children she encounters, home is not a place of refuge but rather a source of stress, instability, or trauma. "Even the idea of 'home' is elusive," she notes.
Jean believes that creating a sense of home—through advocacy, support systems, therapeutic interventions, and prayer—is essential for these children in gaining the stability they need to succeed.
The Hardest Aspects of Working with Vulnerable Youth
One of the greatest difficulties Jean encounters in her work is the inadequacy of the foster care system. "Too often, children are placed in homes that do not nurture them," highlighting that this perpetuates cycles of instability and trauma. Additionally, the rigid, medicalized approach to psychiatry can sometimes overlook the deeper, more human aspects of healing. "The system often reduces these children to diagnoses and medication regimens," she explains, "making it challenging to see them as whole individuals with complex stories."
Everyone wants easy fixes, but it takes time and stable relationships to heal a heart, which is why Christian mentors are desperately needed. The emotional toll of the stories Jean carries is often deeply wearying.
Despite these challenges, Jean remains committed to addressing issues holistically, trusting that even small efforts contribute to a greater impact over time. She remains grounded in the knowledge that God's heart is — to use biblical language — to catch his beloved: "the fatherless, orphans, and children."
The Best Parts of Loving At-Risk Youth
The moments of breakthrough provide Jean with profound fulfillment. "Seeing a child overcome immense odds and thrive makes it all worthwhile," she shares. She recalls a young teenager, Julie (not her real name), who was left abandoned without a home or family. Despite immense obstacles, Julie remained determined, graduated high school, and pursued a career in physical therapy, a healing profession! "Her resilience stands out as a reminder of hope," Jean reflects. These victories — when a child feels heard and supported, when a family finds stability, or when a young person discovers their worth — encourages her to stay in the game.
Why Jesus Really Matters
Jean regularly encounters children who often feel, and actually are, unseen or unsupported in their environments. Many struggle academically because of learning disabilities, systemic educational failures, or emotional trauma. While she observes temporary improvements — such as better sleep with medication, successful advocacy with schools, or therapeutic breakthroughs — she feels the limits of her role.
"I often don’t see the full impact of my efforts, and must rely on an eternal and spiritual vision to sustain me," she reflects, emphasizing the interconnectedness of mental health, education, home stability, advocacy, and spiritual nurturing.
Jean’s deep relationship with Jesus serves as both a compass and a wellspring of strength in her practice. She perceives the struggles of these children not solely through a psychological lens but as spiritual battles requiring multi-faceted intervention. "I find myself relying on God for guidance, strength, and the right words in 'real time' difficult situations," she confides.
Jean’s "true North" orientation towards Christ empowers her to transform the concept of "home" from a distant dream into a tangible reality of warmth, safety, and agency. As Jean's story shows, contending for shalom comes about through faithfulness, perseverence, and skilled love.
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?