'God directed our pastor to the homeless': Faith Chapel partners with city for homeless pilot project
The city of Birmingham is partnering with Faith Chapel Care Center to combat homelessness.
The partnerships are a part of the Home for All project, which was launched in 2023.
Faith Chapel Care Center will be the site of 15 micro-shelters that the homeless can stay in.
The care center is currently open for half a day on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and provides resources such as showers, meals, laundry services and case management.
Those services will expand to include recovery meetings, full-time case management, counseling sessions, mailing addresses and independent living skills training in addition to the micro-shelters.
For Faith Chapel, participating in the Home for All initiative means more than just doing good deeds.
鈥淕od directed our pastor to the homeless, those people that are experiencing homelessness. So, we feel that it's a mandate for us," said Debra Blaylock, the community liaison for the Faith Chapel Care Center.
Urban Alchemy is also a part of this partnership and will oversee two sites that could hold up to 60 shelters.
"It's not a small thing to eradicate homelessness in any city, it's going to require a collaborative effort among everyone. You can't just look to the city. It has to be faith-based and business owners and city leaders," said Blaylock.