Prayer
My soul will glory in the LORD that the poor may hear and be glad. Magnify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the LORD, who answered me, delivered me from all my fears. Ps. 32:2-3

God of all goodness and love, I am helpless without you. Keep me safe in both body and soul. Open my heart to the healing power of your love. Guide me, through the Holy Spirit, to love others as you love me. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son. Amen.

Pray for the homeless and all who fear losing their jobs and homes.

Fasting
How often do you thank God for the comfort of your home? Think of the homeless when you
† enjoy a shower,
† put on clean clothes,
† choose which toiletries you'll use,
† open the refrigerator and cupboard and see food waiting for you,
† get in the car and drive to your destination.
These experiences that are not a part of the lives of the homeless.

Fast by:
† reducing the amount of driving you do and the length of showers you take.
† combining loads of laundry & running the dishwasher only when it is full.
† cutting back on home improvement projects.

Give Alms
Donate extra home goods to help a homeless family start over. Donate extra bedding to a homeless shelter. Donate the money you saved through your fasting efforts.

Help us change lives among the homeless in the United States.

Sister Susan works with the Pajaro Valley Shelter serving homeless women, children and families in Watsonville, California. She says: "The challenge of homelessness is growing. Now we are taking in families that have been evicted because the landlord lost the house to foreclosure or one of the persons supporting the family lost his/her job and then faced foreclosure. All the shelter and transition houses in Santa Cruz County are full with waiting lists."

Sister Susan needs help to provide shelter, transitional housing and social services to a growing number of families.

Sister Linda coordinates the Faith Into Action Together (F.I.A.T.) program for the Massachusettes Coalition for the Homeless. F.I.A.T. networks with over 900 faith communities educating and engaging members to assist famiies and individuals experiencing homelessness with their immediate needs. F.I.A.T. also collaborates in changing the systems that cause homelessness by advocating for long-term, just solutions.

F.I.A.T. receives calls from hundreds of people in crisis. These people turn to F.I.A.T. to find services that will help them keep their homes, or emergency shelter if they have lost their homes. Sister Linda reports that over 640 families are being sheltered in hotels because all family shelters are full. F.I.A.T. is in need of more resources to help this growing population of people in crisis.