We are creating a community of mutuality with our brothers and sisters living in the streets battling addiction, forced prostitution and homelessness. Mutuality is where others’ well-being becomes as important as one's own. There is no ‘us’ and ‘them’. There is only ‘us’. In our community of mutuality, we are here to listen, to receive each other, and to value each other. Our community of mutuality is reflected in our process that, after providing direct crisis intervention services we then emphasize retention in care, maintaining recovery and supporting reengagement by ensuring that a person has enduring ties to our community and support systems during critical periods of transition.
The foundational scripture for our work is Luke 4:15-19.
He (Jesus) went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
.רוּחַ אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה, עָלָי--יַעַן מָשַׁח יְהוָה אֹתִי לְבַשֵּׂר עֲנָוִים, שְׁלָחַנִי לַחֲבֹשׁ לְנִשְׁבְּרֵי-לֵב, לִקְרֹא לִשְׁבוּיִם דְּרוֹר, וְלַאֲסוּרִים פְּקַח-קוֹחַ.
לִקְרֹא שְׁנַת-רָצוֹן לַיהוָה, וְיוֹם נָקָם לֵאלֹהֵינוּ, לְנַחֵם, כָּל-אֲבֵלִים.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, healing to the brokenhearted, freedom to those who are oppressed, downtrodden, bruised, crushed by tragedy, and to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”
