​EVERYONE DESERVES A DECENT HOME

Quickly.…name an advocacy/service project in 2024 whose roots go way back to the
17 th century….

If you guessed homelessness you’re probably a Vincentian, i.e. a member or associate
of one of the 225 groups in 150 countries that claim St. Vincent DePaul as patron,
founder or inspiration.

Homelessness ranked high on Vincent’s agenda. The following is the story of a
contemporary effort to end homelessness by followers of Vincent DePaul, the
remarkable story of a strikingly successful project. Consider this: in only 6 years, from
2018 to 2023, the FAMVIN Homeless Alliance (FHA) has provided over 10,000 formerly
homeless people with secure housing and access to other support services.

Current Statistics (June 2024):
68 Countries; 108 projects; 2,523 Houses; 10,256 People Helped

The Historical Inspiration: One of St. Vincent’s many creative responses to the plight
of poor people in his time involved the use of money bequeathed to him in a royal will to
acquire 13 houses for abandoned children. Using sharp business skills, Vincent rented
the houses to the Ladies of Charity (AIC), then used the rent proceeds for the missions.
The Daughters of Charity cared for and educated the children. St. Vincent also
arranged housing for refugees pouring into Paris, victims of war, famine and the plague,
as well as others living on the streets, which also involved feeding at times thousands of
people.

Vincent’s “13 houses” became the metaphor for today’s project to transform the lives of
at least 10,000 people experiencing homelessness in as many countries as possible to
works towards eliminating homelessness.
​
FHA’s focus on the homeless has three dimensions:
 People without accommodations--street sleepers
 People living in temporary accommodations—refugee camps, the internally
displaced
 People living in inadequate/insecure housing—slums, hostels.

The 400 th Anniversary: in 2017, with the theme “Welcoming the Stranger,” the
Vincentian Family celebrated the 400 years of Vincentian charism to serve the poor by
launching a global initiative to address homelessness. Inspired by the Gospel text
“When I was a stranger you welcomed me” (Matthew 25), and by Vincent’s words “We
should assist the poor in every way and do it both by ourselves and by enlisting the help
of others,” the FHA was entrusted with the megaproject, the unique common project of
the entire Family from 1 July 2017 until 2025.

Collaboration is the key to the success of any major project and the FHA has been
particularly focused on increasing the collaboration needed to eliminate the deeply
entrenched social problem that is homelessness. Twenty-five branches of the Family
have been especially involved and the success achieved so far exemplifies the power of
collaboration.

The United Nations Connection: As a global project, 2025 was chosen to coincide
with the UN’s 2030 Agenda for People and the Planet, 17 Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) to put the world on a path towards greater prosperity and peace for
everyone.

This Agenda, approved by 193 Member States of the UN, is ambitious and frankly off
track at this time. The Vincentian Family remains especially focused on the
advancement of three of the SDGs: No Poverty (Goal 1), Sustainable Cities and
Communities (#11) and Reduced Inequality (#10).

FHA Initiatives: Besides hosting international conferences on street homelessness,
refugees and persons trapped in slums, FHA is planning to offer a global scholarship
fund for 50 young slum dwellers from different communities worldwide up to the
graduate level. As it continues to expand, FHA has been incorporating discussions of
climate change and resultant displacement, the great moral and existential challenge of
our time, as well as gender and women-focused themes, because women and girls
regularly suffer the most with any social ill.

FHA attempts to bring to bear a holistic approach to the project, ensuring that all
dimensions of poverty and marginalization are addressed. And it does so with a
systemic change mentality, seeking the root causes of homelessness, and involving
persons experiencing homelessness in every phase of the project. More than victims,
they are potential protagonists, and their voice and participation are critical to create
lasting sustainable change.

The Jubilee Year 2025: “Hope Does Not Disappoint” is the inspiring theme of the
upcoming special year in the Church. FHA is deep into planning to associate its efforts
with Pope Francis’s call for tangible signs of hope, positioning itself as an active pilgrim
of hope by continuing the expansion beyond 13 houses and 13 countries and by proving
that homelessness is not a necessary evil but a difficult issue that humanity can solve.
Closing: To have a home is a human right. To have a decent home is to have dignity
and a sense of worth. Having a home is key to the circle of life and its demands of job
and income, health and education. To have a home is to have opportunity. Having a
home is fundamental to achieve Pope Francis’s imperative of the three L’s: land, labor
and lodging.
​
FHA is trying to make that happen for as many as possible. Let’s end homelessness. It
can be done. We can all join the effort in different ways by searching for local FHA
projects, or by donating, collaborating, spreading the word, following FamVin Homeless
Alliance on Twitter/X, FaceBook and Instagram, or emailing: [email protected].

Jim Claffey, NGO Representative of the Congregation of the Mission to United Nations