Yesterday local news reported about State Bill HB4039 (the HOPE Act) first introduced several years ago and currently in the Illinois General Assembly.
One aspect of this bill includes taking away the ability for emergency shelters to implement and enforce sobriety requirements. While we don’t doubt the intentions of this bill, we have received questions about how this bill could affect the people we serve and Pathway Ministries as an organization and would like to respond below.
We believe the most compassionate thing you can do for someone struggling with homelessness and addiction is to encourage and support them on a pathway toward hope, healing, and a home of their own.
For the men and women we serve, addiction is often (but not always) part of why they are experiencing homelessness. Pathway Ministries is not a medical detox facility, but if someone comes to Pathway under the influence and requires support to detox, we can connect them to a place where they will receive the medical care they need. After completing detox, many people choose to come to Pathway as a place to continue their recovery.
Here they can find encouragement, accountability, and even the tough love they might need to succeed.
Our staff is trained to help those we serve address and overcome addictions as well as navigate the trauma caused by addiction. We know how important sobriety and community are to finding recovery. Our community guidelines require sobriety because:
- People come to Pathway to be empowered to make a change in life, not to be enabled to continue using harmful substances.
- We serve between 140-160 people a night. Sobriety creates safer living conditions as well as encourage others to continue in their personal recovery.
- God’s plan for a flourishing life includes sobriety. (1 Peter 5:8, 2 Timothy 4:5, Ephesians 5:18)
For Pathway Ministries, State Bill HB4039 will not alter how we provide services.
Because we are completely donor funded and receive no federal or state aid, State Bill HB4039 will not alter our services. People can find Christ-centered recovery and care at Pathway Ministries because donors, businesses, and churches provide support and believe in our whole-person approach.
We are proud to serve alongside other local agencies in the area, doing the loving work of caring for those in need. But since Pathway Ministries was the featured image of the news report on the HOPE Act, we believe it is important to distinguish how we are different in our approach and our funding.
Because of donors like you, we can continue to offer a Christ-centered, whole person approach to men and women struggling with homelessness and addiction. Together we can watch them move from poverty to progress.
In Christ
Jon Rocke, Executive Director
PS. You can hear more about our whole-person approach. We’d like to invite you to “The Poverty Problem” at 5pm on September 30. We’ll enjoy a light meal and and share how we are seeing lasting change happen right here in our community. The Poverty Problem is a free event but registration is required. Sign up here.
