Jeremiah Community

 Fredericksburg’s downtown churches came together in 2005 to coordinate care for the community’s street homeless. They called their collaboration Micah Ecumenical Ministries. As our churches fed, clothed and sheltered the unhoused in the winter, we learned about their deeper needs and developed tangible solutions, such as respite care for those who ended up in the hospital, housing stabilization, income development and a street church worshipping community. While our efforts have led to a more holistic continuum for those moving out of homelessness, we have learned that giving someone a set of keys and a case manager does not change their status. In fact, the Jeremiahs of our community frequently struggle in new ways when removed from their street community and faced with the added responsibilities of living indoors. While some can increase their independence and sustainability over time, others are truly limited due to disability or past trauma and will need a lifetime of support.