The Well of Homelessness

Written By Chad McComas

We often hear people comment that the homeless have “made their bed and need to lie in it.” There is strong, overwhelming belief people have made the choice to be homeless. They just need to get a job and pull themselves up by their own “boot straps.”

Homelessness is like falling into a well. It doesn’t matter how one falls into a well. It could be due to their own bad choices, it can be someone pushed them in, it may be from an economical landslide or a health catastrophe. Alan Graham of Mobile Loaves and Fishes calls homelessness is the result of a “profound, catastrophic loss of family.”

None-the-less a homeless person finds him or herself trapped in the well. They need a hand-up to get out. This is not a hand-out with no effort on the part of the homeless. Rather, the homeless person accepts the hand-up to get out of the well and with their own effort can change their circumstances. 

Most do change and regain their lives. Some fall back in.

Chad McComas

Chad McComas is the founder of Rogue Retreat which created a homeless program with multiple levels taking people off the streets and empowering them to become self-sufficient. At its height, Rogue Retreat was providing housing for over 500 individuals a night. Rogue Retreat’s secret sauce was a five-level coaching program that led participants from being in crisis to thriving. Rogue Retreat’s success attracted leaders from communities, counties, universities, and States to come to visit. Chad also founded Set Free Ministries which has become one of Medford’s largest community services program that serves hundreds of homeless and working poor individuals each week with food boxes, hot meals, clothing, showers, laundry, and more.

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Homelessness and Lack of Housing and Shelter is a Crisis