Grace Can Lead Us Home is a must-read that will challenge your assumptions about homelessness, its causes, and potential solutions. Author Kevin Nye is the assistant director of programs at The Center in Hollywood, a non-religious non-profit providing services and advocacy for people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles.

Nye argues that homelessness is a problem of unaffordable housing, and no matter how they end up homeless, all people deserve the resources they need, including housing. He explores the complex and interconnected issues that contribute to homelessness, such as affordable housing, mental illness, addiction, trauma, and systemic injustice. Nye does not shy away from the hard questions or the messy realities, but he also offers hope and grace to both the unhoused and the housed. He writes, "By drawing readers back to the biblical vision of justice, Kevin Nye gives readers a new lens for seeing their unhoused neighbors."

In chapter four Nye talks about the disproportionate number of LGBTQ youth who are unhoused, in large part due to being kicked out of their homes. Sadly, even if they go to shelters, they aren’t always safe, especially trans women. Many faith-based shelters are explicitly non-affirming and trans women are forced to sleep in rooms with cisgender men “puts them at direct risk for targeted violence.”

**“As the battles over LGBTQ+ affirmation rage on in Christian institutions, we cannot lose sight of the physical and psychological harm we are inflicting on people whom God loves. Our limited theological imaginations, which prioritize how we think and feel about sexuality and gender identity over how we value the actual lives of fellow bearers of the divine image, is driving LGBTQ+ people to homelessness and all its subsequent harms.”**

I also appreciate the emphasis on harm reduction in chapter five. “Harm reduction” generally is about minimizing harm to people instead of demanding perfection. When it comes to substance abuse, Nye writes: “Harm reduction” is a set of beliefs for approaching substance use and addiction that highlights users’ choice, autonomy, and safety.” Therefore, the response to substance abuse shouldn’t be about punishment, but first about reducing the harm to people and communities impacted.

This book is not only informative but also transformative. It will challenge you to rethink your theology, your politics, and your relationships. It will also inspire you to join God's work of restoring dignity, healing, and community to those who are often overlooked and ignored. Grace Can Lead Us Home is a timely and prophetic call for Christians to end homelessness in our world.

Table of Contents
-A Note On Language
-Introduction
1. Seeing And Being Seen
2. Housing
3. Isolation And Connection
4. Community And Solidarity
5. Mental Health
6. Substance Use and Overdose
7. Addiction And Recovery
8. Abundance, Beauty, and Celebration
-Conclusion

**“We must push for solutions that actually end homelessness, rather than ones that simply push it out of sight and out of mind.”**

“…the experience of homelessness entails a disconnection from more than just physical resources; it is isolating, dehumanizing, and traumatizing.“
 
“…if each unhoused person I meet is Christ…I am called in many ways to sit at their feet—to listen, to learn, and to change.”
 
“Lack of affordable housing causes homelessness. The connection is definitive, provable, and irrefutable.1”
 
“This new approach continues to be proven effective at ending homelessness on a large scale, demonstrates success in housing and stabilizing people who were deemed unhelpable, with dignity and mutuality, and actually saves us money in the long run. We call this the Housing First model.”
 
“Our church communities are incomplete without solidarity with the poor and marginalized in our neighborhood.“
 
“To give away for free something normally thought of as a luxury is to take a posture of abundance. It is an audacious, biblical truth to an unbelieving world: You deserve more than mere survival. Your humanity amounts to more than the sum of your basic needs.”
 
I had the honor of reading an advance copy of this book, due to release 8/9, and I can’t recommend it enough! Kevin Nye draws on his years of experience working with the unhoused population in Los Angeles to shine a light on the problem of homelessness, address common myths, and help us to see our unhoused neighbors as fellow image bearers deserving of the radical grace of Christ. I was impressed with Kevin’s ability to combine a rich and sound theology of biblical justice and grace with trauma-informed care and evidence-based practices. I learned so much from this book, which left me feeling better prepared to have a more compassionate, informed dialogue about this important topic. Kevin writes with humility and thoughtfulness and shares engaging stories from his personal experiences and relationships. This is a powerful read!

First- this book will be among my top books of 2022.
Second- I had a *lot* of trepidation before reading this book. Here's why...

"Christians are more than twice as likely as the general population to associate poverty with a lack of effort, as opposed to difficult circumstances." That's a quote from the introduction of this book, and it's exactly the reason that I didn't have much faith in a book about solving homelessness that was by and for Christians. Every discussion that I've ever had with Christians about this issue paints those who are homeless as lazy addicts who would *have* housing if they would get clean and get a job!

But I underestimated this book and this author. Kevin Nye has presented us with an eye opening look at what works, statistically, and what doesn't. He offers a clear call to churches (grace, or unmerited favor, is a key tenet of this book) and practical advice for both individuals and organizations. He addresses the importance of community and connection, and writes about mental health and addiction in ways that were truly revelatory for me. Nye is clearly passionate about serving those who are unhoused "with dignity and mutuality", and that is evidenced throughout. Fun fact- Before I had even finished this book I had talked to at least 4 friends about it. Definitely recommend.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book.
#GraceCanLeadUsHome

Check out this review!
Heavy read for me, as several members of my family unit were at risk of being unhoused. Thank God for my grandparent’s help when there was no safety net. This is timely also for many yet unborn children and their mothers who are also at risk.

“Grace means we never give up on our neighbors, just as God never gives up on us. “-Kevin Nye.

The author understands the basic worth of all human beings from a Christian perspective. He leads the reader through different root causes, and frames how we are to think of solutions- all through the compassion of Christ. There’s a piece of
government care that’s missing- the safety net of housing and consensual treatment for addiction and mental illness. However, waiting for unhoused to enter into these programs is not infinite. Towns and cities do not have infinite time to allow people in crisis living in the streets to seek care. That’s when our cities and towns need to stay functional, and that time is now. Illegal activity must be prosecuted, or else the general population becomes at risk. Local government needs to be accountable to people who are paying taxes, expecting basic services to keep normal life functioning. I understand it’s essential to have compassion of all unhoused people. It is also essential to keep high functioning people safe so they can go to work, their children are not stepping over hypodermic needles, and business owners are not washing feces off the streets in a city center. With the ever higher cost of living, it’s even more important to maintain access to health services and housing for all, but not at the cost of an already stressed, functioning society.

Overall, the thesis of the book, caring for the uncared, and valuing people even though they have unsolvable situations, is a basic tenet of Christianity. In the book of Job, he has hope that God will see his agony. This book made me see the agony of the unhoused. I want to help, not just cast a blind eye at this situation. We are all creations of God. Not us vs them. The Appendix has many resources to help. Note: I serve a God who is the father of the fatherless and the defender and friend of widows and orphans (Psalm 68:5, James 1:27)

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this brilliant debut work from Kevin M Nye. The author’s personal investment in the unhoused community is evident, but his insight about entry points for the church to make an impact is exceptional. Unmasking NIMBYISM (not in my backyard attitudes) and embracing the discomfort of sacrificial grace on behalf of others is inspiring and beyond practical. I’m so grateful this work exists and hope it will transform churches and church communities into the cultural impact machines they hope to be.

After reading Grace Can Lead Us Home by Kevin Nye, I have real hope that our homelessness crisis in the U.S. can be solved. Using relevant data plus experience from two decades working in homeless services, Kevin makes the case for completely re-imagining our approach to ending homelessness. And it won't require any more money than we already spend on homeless services. Instead, it will require a new way of thinking about housing as a human right. This book will change your thinking on our response to the homelessness crisis and the possibilities for ending it.

With a Masters of Divinity and a job in homeless services at The Center in L.A., Kevin Nye is ideally suited to lead us on this journey of the Christian response to homelessness. Indeed, Grace Can Lead Us Home combines the heart and theological wisdom of a pastor with the empathy and trauma-informed perspective of a social worker. Throughout Nye's book, he cites research and statistics while interweaving public policy and his personal stories of working with unhoused people. Nye always brings it back to the words and example of Jesus.

Nye concisely describes homelessness as a problem of unaffordable housing. He connects God's grace of undeserved good gifts to the grace we must extend to those experiencing homelessness. "If grace means that God gives us good things because of who God is, not because we deserve it, then who are we to base our approach to homelessness on whether or not those on the streets have earned or qualified for our help?" Regardless of how people end up in homelessness, Nye argues that they are deserving of help, resources, and ultimately, housing.

The first chapter challenges readers to "see and be seen" by unhoused people. I am guilty of averting my eyes whenever I see a homeless person on the sidewalk. As a psychologist who previously worked in community mental health serving many unhoused clients, I am also guilty of seeing myself as the "helper" and them as the "recipient" of help or services. I have labeled many clients "treatment resistant" or "help rejecting" without considering the reason why the services or skills I offered them did not meet their needs. Nye really challenged me to consider my biases and assumptions about homelessness and the connections I make or avoid with those experiencing homelessness.

The chapter on housing contrasts merit-based models of ending homelessness (the typical models) with housing first models. This makes so much sense and exacerbates my frustration with our crisis-based, reactive (instead of prevention-based, proactive) model of care in our country. "For people experiencing homelessness, housing itself is the most meaningful intervention for virtually all other ailments." I have observed this in my own work as a therapist; I often lamented that it was difficult to assist people with their depression, alleviate their symptoms of PTSD, or get their substance use under control when they were homeless. Nye also points to research that shows that offering housing first would actually save money in reduced hospitalizations, incarcerations, and other social services.

Nye's next chapters describe isolation and connection and the importance of community and solidarity. He answers the most common question he receives: "what do I do when a person experiencing homelessness asks [me] for money?" Nye encourages readers to consider their boundaries and assumptions and offer human interaction no matter what our response.

As a psychologist, I was very interested in the chapters on mental health, substance use, addiction, and recovery given my previous work in community mental health settings. Nye explains severe mental illness, the problems with deinstitutionalization, trauma, and offers suggestions on how the church can be trauma-informed. Several of his stories about people with substance addiction and his recommendation to focus on harm reduction rather than substance abstinence challenged what I have previously learned and practiced. He has given me new points to consider and continue to explore.

Grave Can Lead Us Home ends with a celebration of abundance and beauty in spite of suffering and brokenness. Nye writes not in a preachy, holier-than-thou way but in a way that challenges us to reconsider homelessness and our Christian responsibility to end it. All Christians should read this book as we learn how to show God's grace more compassionately to people who are unhoused.

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced copy of this book through Net Galley.

I read an advance copy in electronic format. I have pre-ordered a hard copy to purchase.
This book confronts several of my preconceptions about people who are housing insecure. My sister's experience with being homeless fell into the Resource Rich category. She was able to live in our home while she sorted out starting over after leaving the US to a fraudulent situation.

Her disabilities were additional challenges. Coming in to Chicago, she was able to get a job and means-adjusted housing after several months. She didn't spend time on the streets. We had to juggle to purchase her insulin on occasion, but we were able to make it work.

When a person does not have a social network to rely upon, they can fall through the cracks. In our case, the rules and restrictions imposed did not result in a mismatch of wants and resources.

This title helps to outline how the barriers to offering help can be eliminated as people who may be well-intentioned are setting up another population for failure.

This would be a good book for discussion in a small group setting. Using the book as a cudgel on hurting friends and family should be avoided. This isn't a "Hey, too bad your kid is homeless. This book will solve everything!" kind of resource. It helps people to see where compassion and yes, grace, can impact lives.

"Grace Can Lead Us Home" is a book that I feel everyone who claims to be a follower of Jesus should read. It is incredibly important and I believe it can change a lot of people's lives.

The number of people living without a home is staggering and the fact that most of them are children is heartbreaking. Like this books explains, most people when they hear the word "homeless" automatically think of a dirty man who is an alcoholic or on drugs, or living a life of crime. We need to step away from this stereotype and see these people for who they are; PEOPLE. Show them the Grace that God showed us. Did Jesus not die for them just like He died for you? Why are you looking at these people on the side of the road with disgust? Why are they being kicked out of churches because of the way they look or how they are dressed? Jesus thought they were to die for so why can't you at least show them some respect and love? Talk to them, find out what caused their problems and see if there is a way you can help them. Offer them a meal, a shower, some new clothes to wear, a warm blanket. Show them Grace. You may think they don't deserve it but none of us deserved it from Jesus. We were disgusting sinners but He still loved us enough to save our lives.

This book is beautiful and powerful and I truly feel it changed something in me. I highly recommend this.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author Kevin Nye for letting me read an ARC of this amazing book.