Maybe someone is sitting huddled in a doorway and it’s January, how hard it must be for them, we think.

Do we feel guilty, uncomfortable, puzzled as to how they fell through the welfare state net? Maybe we think: ‘Couldn’t they try harder to get a job or seek help?’

Perhaps we buy The Big Issue and then put the problem out of our mind? After all, it’s too hard to solve and we have to leave it to ‘the authorities’.

Yet as people of faith we know what Jesus tells us in the gospel - that we must ‘love one another just as I have loved you’ and as John says: ‘If a rich person sees his brother in need yet closes his heart how can he claim he loves God.’

How is it that in 2008 we still have a problem of homelessness in Leamington Spa? Is it a growing gulf between haves and have-nots?

The Chief Executive of Marks and Spencer said this week that he had never seen such a difference between the very rich and the poor.

Is my greed someone else’s misery? A growing number of second home owners, property speculators, the high house prices and a lack of affordable rented properties mean a mountain to climb for those who are vulnerable, mentally ill, suffering addiction or lacking education.

Some people do not fit neatly into ‘boxes’ so that they do not fit the ‘rules’ for official help and they may be too demoralised to try. In the face of overwhelming odds, they lose self-respect.

Many people need the practical love and support so well demonstrated by the Christian Mission or the Salvation Army who show God’s love through their actions and treat all with respect and appreciation. But so much more is needed.

I have seen the joy and excitement of someone given a place of their own for the first time and it is humbling. Basic needs - food, warmth and shelter should be possible for all in our rich country.

How wonderful it would be in 2008 to help get rid of the misery caused by having no shelter.

As St. Francis of Assissi says in his famous prayer: ‘Where there is despair let me bring hope.’ We should add ‘and a home’.

l Read more stories about faith in the Mind and Spirit section of our website.

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