MOVE-IN MINISTRY COMBATS HOMELESSNESS

I’ve heard the statement numerous times as I’ve visited ACL congregations: “Pastor Tim, I’d like to get involved in a ministry effort that actually does something about homelessness in Austin.”

We’ve found our niche: Move-In Ministry. We gather furniture and other household items from church members and neighbors in Austin, store them, and then deliver them to people exiting homelessness. ACL established this ministry in 2022.

By the end of 2024, we’ve carried out close to 200 move-ins, serving individuals and families with needed items that help them feel “at home.” A huge thanks to ACL congregation Holy Cross for providing two areas on their campus for us to store furniture. And another large dose of thanks to ACL congregation Triumphant Love for granting $2,500 from its endowment fund for ACL to purchase new mattresses.

Items we collect: kitchen tables and chairs, couches and living room furniture, dressers, simple bed frames, small bookshelves, end tables; pots and pans, silverware, cookware, towels, and bed linens. (We do not take china cabinets, entertainment centers, sleeper sofas, or other large furniture items.)

I receive email inquiries from homelessness service providers (Sunrise Navigation Center, Foundation for the Homeless, and others), and our crews typically respond within three weeks supplying most all of a client’s requested furniture and household items. Most of the people we serve are in a minimum year-long supportive relationship with their provider; again, we help them to feel as if they’ve made it “home.”

Do you have a pickup truck and free time during weekday mornings? Are you free on an occasional Saturday morning? Do you have organizational skills? Do you have a (relatively) good back and strong legs? Are you good at fixing used furniture? Do you have furniture or household items to donate? These are a number of the ways you could participate in this ministry and do something positive to combat homelessness in Austin!

– Pastor Tim Anderson, Director of Community Development for ACL

Contact me to join in these efforts.