Homelessness Sunday 2025

Housing Justice holds Homelessness Sunday on the Sunday before World Homeless Day each year. This year, Homelessness Sunday falls on 5th October, and our theme is ‘Love thy neighbour’. 

Our aim is to raise awareness of the issues surrounding homelessness among Churches and their congregations by asking Churches to run their own Homelessness Sunday Service, either on 5th October or on a more convenient date. Below you will find a range of resources to support you in doing this. 

We hope that by taking time to reflect on Homelessness Sunday, Church congregations will consider what they can do in their own community to alleviate homelessness, suffering and poverty. Beneath our Church Resources, you will find some suggestions you might like to consider. 

For Churches who are unable to run their own Service, Housing Justice is pre-recording a Homelessness Sunday Service from St Barnabas, Ealing for the Church of England weekly online channel which will be aired on 5th October, and which you could watch together in your Church, or at home. 

The Service will be led by Housing Justice Trustee, Rev Sarah Howard-Jones, and will feature conversations with, and prayers by guests in Housing Justice’s London Hosting Project. 

Homelessness Sunday Reading: Luke 17 verses 5 and 6

‘5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.. 

Reflections on the Lectionary Reading for Homelessness Sunday

by Lewis Lennon, Citadel Co-ordinator

Have you ever walked past someone sitting on the pavement — maybe wrapped in a sleeping bag, maybe holding a paper cup — and felt that mixture of emotions?
Compassion. Guilt. Helplessness.
Maybe even the urge to look away.

I know I have.
And in that moment, it’s easy to feel small.
Like, what difference could I possibly make?

That’s exactly where the disciples were when they cried out to Jesus, “Increase our faith!”
And Jesus replied: “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”

I love that Jesus didn’t say, “Come back when you’ve got more faith.”
He said, “Bring me the little you’ve got, and watch what I can do with it.”
Because mustard seed faith may be tiny, but it’s alive.
And when it’s planted in God’s kingdom, it grows.

Psalm 37 gives us a picture of what mustard seed faith looks like in practice:
“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Trust — and do good.
That’s it.
Not “solve everything.” Not “carry the whole weight of the housing crisis on your shoulders.”
Just: trust Him — and do something.

And this is where the theme of Homelessness Sunday speaks so clearly: Love your neighbour.
Not just the neighbour who waves from over the fence.
But the neighbour on the bus stop bench.
The neighbour in the doorway with a cardboard bed.
The neighbour who feels invisible.

David Nixon, in his book Stories from the Street, puts it powerfully:

“Vulnerable people are the best preachers of the gospel in their own communities.”

That means our neighbours on the margins don’t just need our help — they often carry gospel truth in their own stories, reminding us of Jesus himself who chose to identify with the poor, the outsider, the forgotten.

Because here’s the mystery of the kingdom: when we plant seeds, God makes them grow.
One conversation can lead to hope.
One meal can lead to community.
One act of courage can ripple far beyond what we see.

So maybe the question for us today isn’t, “Do I have enough faith?”
Maybe it’s, “What will I do with the faith I already have?”

Prayer

Lord, we confess our faith feels small.
But we give You our mustard seed, trusting You to grow it.
Teach us to see our neighbours as You see them —
to love not just in words but in action.
Take our small steps, and use them to bring Your kingdom here on earth,
for every neighbour without a home,
and for every heart that longs for shelter.
Amen.

Resources

Prayers, Hymns and Junior Church Resources

Please find resources to download below:

 

Homelessness statistics

CHAIN Annual Bulletin

 

Compared to the general public, people sleeping rough…

  • Are almost 17 times more likely to be a victim of violence
  • Die 30 years younger on average
  • The average life expectancy for men sleeping rough is 47 and 43 for women

 

London Councils

Our Impact

What difference is Housing Justice making?

What your church can do

More ways to help or get involved

Thank you for reflecting on how your Church can ‘Love thy neighbour’ and alleviate homelessness, poverty and suffering in your local community this Homelessness Sunday.  

Each location will face different challenges and it is important to remember that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. However, there is a growing awareness that community-based solutions are fundamental to making homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring. Housing Justice’s Citadel Project is a good example of this, and a brief search of the internet will provide you with much evidence-based research that corroborates the efficacy of this approach. You might like to read a recent article by the former Faith and Homelessness Advisor at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government here. 

So, what can your congregation do? 

  • Consider volunteering at a local night shelter, soup kitchen or community project such as Citadel. There will likely be a number of organisations in your area looking for volunteers, and if you can’t find one and believe there is a need, could your Church consider opening its doors to provide food or a bed for someone experiencing homelessness?
  • Consider hosting someone seeking sanctuary and at risk of homelessness in your spare room. Housing Justice runs Hosting Projects in London and Wales and is always looking for new hosts to open their homes in a supported way. You can find out more here. If you are outside of the areas in which we operate, there are a number of other charities that run hosting programmes which you will be able to find online.
  • Consider renting out your room to a newly granted refugee for a period of six months through Housing Justice’s Refugee Lodgings Project. You can find out more here.
  • Take part in a Challenge Event with your friends or run a School Fundraiser to raise money for a homelessness charity of your choice. Find out more about fundraising for Housing Justice here.
  • Make a donation to a homelessness charity of your choice – if you would like to make a donation to Housing Justice, you can do so here. 
  • Does your will need updating? Consider leaving a legacy to a homelessness charity of your choice. You can find out more about Housing Justice’s free will making service here. 

Sul Digartrefedd

Mae Housing Justice Cymru yn cynnal Dydd Sul Digartrefedd ar y Sul cyn Diwrnod Digartrefedd bob blwyddyn, sef y Sul cyntaf ym mis Hydref.

Y thema ar gyfer eleni yw ‘Car dy gymydog’.

Gobaith Housing Justice Cymru yw helpu eglwysi a chynulleidfaoedd i ddeall mwy am y problemau sy’n gysylltiedig â digartrefedd, drwy wahodd eglwysi i gynnal eu Gwasanaeth Dydd Sul Digartrefedd eu hunain, naill ai ar ddechrau Hydref neu ar ddyddiad sy’n fwy cyfleus. Isod mae adnoddau amrywiol i helpu gyda hynny.

Mae Housing Justice Cymru yn gobeithio y bydd cynulleidfaoedd eglwysig, drwy gymryd amser i fyfyrio ar Ddydd Sul Digartrefedd, yn ystyried beth allen nhw ei wneud yn eu cymunedau eu hunain i leddfu digartrefedd, dioddefaint a thlodi.

Myfyrdod yn seiliedig ar Luc 17:5-6 gan Lewis Lennon

Ydych chi erioed wedi cerdded heibio rhywun yn eistedd ar y palmant —
efallai wedi’i lapio mewn sach cysgu,
efallai yn dal cwpan papur —
ac wedi teimlo’r gymysgedd honno o emosiynau?
Tosturi. Euogrwydd. Anobaith.
Efallai hyd yn oed yr awydd i droi’ch golwg i ffwrdd.

Rwy’n gwybod fy mod i.
Ac yn y foment honno, mae’n hawdd teimlo’n annigonol.
Fel petai’n amhosib i ni wneud unrhyw wahaniaeth.

Dyna’n union sut oedd y disgyblion yn teimlo pan alwon nhw ar Iesu,
gan ofyn iddo, ‘Cynydda ein ffydd!”

Atebodd Iesu, “Petai’ch ffydd chi mor fach â hedyn mwstard, gallech chi ddweud wrth y goeden forwydden yma am gael ei chodi o’r ddaear wrth ei gwreiddiau a’i thaflu i’r môr, a byddai’n gwneud hynny!

Rwy’n caru’r ffaith na dywedodd Iesu, “Dewch yn ôl pan fydd gennych fwy o ffydd.”
Dywedodd, “Tyrd â’r ychydig ffydd sydd gennyt, a gwylia beth alla i ei wneud gyda thi.”
Oherwydd mae ffydd fel hedyn mwstard yn fach iawn, ond mae’n fyw ac yn gallu tyfu.
A phan gaiff ei blannu yng nheyrnas Duw, mae’n tyfu’n gyflym.

Mae Salm 37 yn rhoi golwg i ni o sut mae ffydd fel hedyn mwstard yn edrych fel yn ymarferol:
‘Trystia’r ARGLWYDD, a gwna beth sy’n dda.
Setla i lawr yn y tir a mwynhau ei ffyddlondeb.
Ceisia ffafr yr ARGLWYDD bob amser,
a bydd e’n rhoi i ti bopeth rwyt ti eisiau.”

Ymddiried — a gwna ddaioni.
Dyna i gyd.
Nid “datrys popeth.”

Nid “cario pwysau’r argyfwng tai ar dy ysgwyddau.”
Jyst: ymddiried ynddo Ef — a gwneud rhywbeth.

Ac yma, mae thema Dydd Sul Digartrefedd yn siarad mor glir:

Car dy gymydog.

Nid jyst y cymydog sy’n codi llaw arnat dros y ffens.
Ond y cymydog sy’n eistedd ar fainc yn y parc neu’n teithio ar y bws.
Y cymydog sy’n gorwedd o flaen drws y siop mewn gwely o gardbord.
Y cymydog sy’n teimlo’n anweledig.

Mae David Nixon, yn ei lyfr Stories from the Street, yn dweud hyn mewn ffordd bwerus:
“Y bobl fregus yw’r pregethwyr gorau o’r efengyl yn eu cymunedau eu hunain.”

Mae hynny’n golygu nad yw ein cymdogion ar yr ymylon ond angen ein help — yn aml, maen nhw’n cario gwirionedd yr efengyl yn eu straeon eu hunain, yn ein hatgoffa am Iesu ei hun, a ddewisodd uniaethu â’r tlawd, yr alltud, y rhai a anghofiwyd gan gymdeithas.

Oherwydd dyma ddirgelwch y deyrnas:
pan fyddwn yn plannu hadau, Duw sy’n gwneud iddyn nhw dyfu.
Gall un sgwrs arwain at obaith.
Gall un pryd o fwyd arwain at greu cymuned.
Gall un weithred o ddewrder deithio ymhellach nag y gallwn ni ei freuddwydio.

Felly efallai nad y cwestiwn i ni heddiw yw, “Oes gennyf ddigon o ffydd?”
Efallai mai’r cwestiwn yw, “Beth wnaf i gyda’r ychydig ffydd sydd gen i eisoes?”

Gweddi

Arglwydd, cyfaddefwn fod ein ffydd
yn teimlo’n wan ar adegau.
Ond rydym yn rhoi ein hedyn mwstard i Ti,
gan ymddiried ynot Ti i’w dyfu.
Dysg i ni weld ein cymdogion
fel yr wyt Ti yn eu gweld nhw —
i garu nid yn unig â geiriau
ond hefyd â gweithredoedd.
Cymer ein camau bach,
a defnyddia nhw i ddod â’th deyrnas yma ar y ddaear,
ar gyfer pob cymydog heb gartref,
a phob calon sy’n hiraethu am noddfa.

Amen.

BETH ALL EICH EGLWYS EI WNEUD

FFYRDD ERAILL O HELPU NEU GYMRYD RHAN

Diolch am fyfyrio ar sut y gall eich Eglwys ‘Garu eich cymydog’ a lleddfu digartrefedd, tlodi a dioddefaint yn eich cymuned leol ar y Dydd Sul Digartrefedd hwn.

Bydd pob ardal yn wynebu heriau gwahanol ac mae’n bwysig cofio nad oes un ateb sy’n addas i bawb. Serch hynny, mae ymwybyddiaeth gynyddol bod atebion sy’n seiliedig ar y gymuned yn hanfodol i leihau digartrefedd yn ein plith. Mae cynllun Citadel Housing Justice yn enghraifft dda o hyn, ac mae chwilio ar y we yn rhoi llawer o dystiolaeth ymchwil sy’n dangos bod y dull hwn yn effeithiol.

Felly, beth all eich cynulleidfa ei wneud?

  • Ystyriwch wirfoddoli mewn lloches nos leol, cegin gawl neu brosiect cymunedol fel Citadel. Mae’n debygol y bydd nifer o sefydliadau yn eich ardal yn chwilio am wirfoddolwyr, ac os na allwch ddod o hyd i un, ac rydych yn credu bod yna angen yn lleol, a allai eich Eglwys agor ei drysau i ddarparu bwyd neu wely i rywun sy’n profi digartrefedd?
  • Ystyriwch groesawu rhywun sy’n chwilio am loches ac sydd mewn perygl o fod yn ddigartref yn eich ystafell sbâr. Mae Housing Justice Cymru yn rhedeg Prosiectau Lletya ac maent bob amser yn chwilio am westeiwyr newydd i agor eu cartrefi i gynnig llety.
  • Ystyriwch rentu eich ystafell i ffoadur sydd newydd gael statws am gyfnod o chwe mis drwy Brosiect Llety Ffoaduriaid Housing Justice Cymru.
  • Cymerwch ran mewn digwyddiad her, neu digwyddiad noddi gyda’ch ffrindiau neu trefnwch gasgliad mewn ysgol i godi arian i elusen digartrefedd o’ch dewis.
  • Rhowch rodd i elusen ddigartrefedd o’ch dewis.

 

Cysylltwch â [email protected] os hoffech gael adnoddau a gweddïau yn y Gymraeg