In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus stated unequivocally that the way we treat the poor will determine our eternal destination, because it reflects the true attitude of our hearts toward God. When we provide for those who need food, water, shelter and clothing, when we care for the sick or visit the imprisoned, we are ministering to God himself and demonstrating our love for him. When we refuse or fail to do these things, we have neglected God himself, demonstrating a lack of love for him. Likewise, John admonishes us: 

The agency provides case management services to assist clients in finding permanent housing and accessing community resources such as transportation, health, and educational services.

Housing Solutions of Greene County, Inc. works in cooperation with the Mental Health and Recovery Board of Clark, Greene, and Madison Counties to provide permanent housing for low-income individuals and families who are actively receiving behavioral health services. In the Property Management program, Housing Solutions serves as landlord for over 32 housing units. Tenants pay a portion of their income as rent. Additionally, Housing Solutions offers support for clients to locate other housing in the community and serves as a liaison between the client and landlords in the community.

Greene Metropolitan Housing Agency assists low-income families in finding permanent housing through its Public Housing and Section 8 housing assistance programs. Single adults are generally not eligible unless they are pregnant or have disabilities. Applicants can be expected to be put on a lengthy waiting list.

The Family Violence Prevention Center offers emergency, short-term, and long-term housing for up to 32 female victims of domestic violence and their children. Length of stay is determined on an individual basis. Clients are provided with case management, and counseling for themselves and their families. The center works in cooperation with Greene Memorial Hospital in Xenia to provide an Emergency Response Program for domestic violence victims, and in cooperation with local law enforcement to offer a DIVERT program to assist families who have experienced domestic disputes or violence.

Bridges of Hope is a faith-based organization operating an emergency overnight shelter located in the former Simon Kenton Elementary School building in Xenia, which took years of negotiations with Xenia City Council to acquire. This ministry was granted a temporary permit to open as an overnight emergency shelter for the winter of 2017, serving more than 80 people. After closing for renovations during the summer, Bridges of Hope has passed recent building code inspections, and opened their doors as an overnight emergency shelter in November 2018, providing meals, beds, showers, and referrals to outside agencies to help guests begin rebuilding their lives.

However, in researching the demographics and history of Xenia I learned a great deal about our population. Additionally, prior to this analysis I was unaware of the prevalence of poverty and homelessness in Xenia and Greene County. In the near future I plan to look into how I can personally help Bridges of Hope reach out to the homeless population of our community.
