Love the Valley: Reaching the unreached in the LC Valley

Does the LC Valley have a homeless problem?  
 
This is the question we asked Carly Klappenbach, Director of Engagement and Missions at CrossPoint Alliance Church in Lewiston, ID.  

“A lot of what I’ve heard from people is that ‘I don’t see them so we must not,’ or maybe, ‘I see them when I’m driving someplace, but kind of out of sight, out of mind,’ so I think we need the honesty to say we do have a homeless problem… that there are people in our community that don’t have a place to sleep at night.” 
 
More than 200 homeless individuals are counted every year in the region’s annual Point In Time count, and many more are couch surfing or otherwise living under the radar. 

“There are so many more factors in being homeless than just somebody who is being lazy and doesn't want to get a job.”

Long before UGM began considering expanding to the area, CrossPoint Alliance Church recognized the suffering of their homeless neighbors and chose to step in and serve in whatever capacity they could. Carly says, “There are so many more factors in being homeless than just somebody who is being lazy and doesn’t want to get a job. There are so many other things involved, and it’s been humbling to start to see that.” 

Being the hands and feet of Jesus 

“At CrossPoint, our vision is that we are a community helping people trust and fully follow Jesus. So everything that we do flows from that statement, and really from what God has called us to do: to go and make disciples of all nations. From our vision, comes our three values: presence, transformation, and mission...and “mission” is really that we would do the kind of things Jesus did. If we’re actually serious about being the hands and feet of Jesus, then that means engaging with people and loving them right where they’re at.” 

“When you can hear their story... it completely changes your perspective.”

Carly says that anybody who calls CrossPoint their home church can apply for a grant of $1,000 with which to serve those in need, locally. “We call these our Love the Valley grants. I think it’s helped our church really recognize the need in the LC Valley, whether it’s homelessness or addiction or poverty. It becomes real for people when they’re not just coming to the staff and saying, ‘Hey, I see this need, can you guys do something about it?’ Through these grants, our response can now be, ‘We want to resource you to go and be the church!’ And from that, we’ve seen people experience what the need really is. It’s different when you hear about homelessness or you hear about addicts and you go, ‘Man, they should really just fix themselves up or they should get a job.’ When you get into somebody’s space, when you can hear their story, when there’s a relationship there, it completely changes your perspective. It becomes ‘I know this person now, and I know they’ve worked so hard to get out of this situation, and it just seems like life just keeps tearing them down and down and down.’” 
 

CrossPoint has worked with the few other service providers in the area as well as some of their own congregants who have gone out of their way to build a network of connections amongst the homeless. Carly says, “We really want to empower them because they have the relationship already.” 
 
That’s why, when UGM started reaching out to area churches last year, asking if they would come alongside us to build the region’s first clean-and-sober shelter, Carly said CrossPoint responded with a resounding, “yes!” She said, “It’s really important to say, ‘We can give you a meal, we can provide you a place to sleep tonight,’ but we want to offer more and say, ‘We want to see you as a thriving individual that is actually engaged in society,’ and is even able to break strongholds of their life that put them in this spot in the first place.’ And that’s what UGM has been doing—and doing really well—all this time.” 

Providing more than food and shelter  

Last year, CrossPoint launched a series of what they call “exposure trips” to UGM Spokane to familiarize themselves with what we offer and how we intend to serve those experiencing homelessness in their neighborhood. Carly said, “We’ve brought people on these exposure trips to tour the facilities, to serve a meal, to engage with the guests, and get to hear their stories. It’s a way to see that God’s up to something beyond Lewiston, and that this is what we want to happen here. 
 

“Something that really stood out to me this last time was when I was in line, serving lunch. I was at the end, handing out the plates. The cook that day told me, ‘Okay, before you pass out the plate, we need you to wipe the rim of the plate with a wet towel.’ And I was thinking, ‘That’s like a fancy restaurant type of thing!’ But I remember him looking at me and saying, ‘Even that shows these people that we value them, and that we respect them enough to not just give them a plate that has nasty grease splatted on the outside of the plate.’ And every time I did that, you know—it was kind of frustrating because I kept smearing all over the plate—I remember giving it to each person and thinking, ‘You really matter! You matter enough that the plate we give you—that’s totally free—we’ve put effort into it and it’s worth it.’ I think there’s a dignity to that that’s just life changing.” 
 

Why not serve the homeless?  

As we formalized our plans to build the shelter on Snake River Ave., we were met with an extremely mixed response from the community at large. We asked Carly what she knew about people’s resistance to providing homeless services. “I’ve paid attention to that, and a lot of people have worries or concerns about the shelter coming here.

“‘I want to be involved and I want to engage in what God's already doing!’”

“I think something that’s been so neat—and I’ve literally heard it from pretty much every single person that has gone on an exposure trip to Spokane—is, ‘This is not at all what I expected,’ that ‘I went there thinking it was going to be run down and dirty.’ From people’s inexperience a lot of times, is where that comes from. But for people to go up there and see UGM, and to see the people that are getting help, and that it’s not just a handout. I think that has really changed the way people think of a homeless shelter. It’s just crazy when you can cross that line into hearing someone’s story and to see something being done differently. There’s this empowerment: ‘I want to be involved and I want to engage in what God’s already doing!’”  

Union Gospel Mission, LC Valley - Opening in 2024 

Union Gospel Mission isn’t coming to the LC Valley to enable those who are homeless to stay stuck and maintain whatever quality of life they’ve settled on; we’re coming to restore dignity, to share the life-changing good news of Christ, and to help people break the cycle of abuse and addiction in their lives. The goal is to break ground this summer and open our doors by fall 2024. 
 

Just like our other locations, the LC Valley Union Gospel Mission will be a high-barrier facility. What this means is, in order to stay, guests must abide by a set of rules that are in place for their own safety and wellbeing: it will be a clean-and-sober facility, no loitering outside the premises, no co-ed living arrangements, plus, every adult will be required to complete a daily chore and help maintain the safe and clean environment.  
 
Carly says she’s impressed by the impact of UGM's high expectations of our guests. “They’re saying, ‘We want to get you a shower and fresh clothes, but we’re also going to expect that you’re going to take care of your stuff, and that you make your bed in the mornings and keep this environment clean.’ I think so much of restoring dignity is being able to say you’re just as much a part of this family as we are, and you have a role to play, and you have responsibilities because we actually love you, and we care for you, and want you to grow and not be stuck in this place your entire life.”  
 
The new shelter will accommodate up to 48 single men and 52 single women or women with children. In addition to nutritious meals and clean living arrangements, we will provide comprehensive case management, faith-based counseling, job training, and connections to our three recovery centers in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene.  
 

Partnering to bring a beacon of hope to the Valley 

Through partnering with the LC Valley community, we will shine the hope of the gospel into lives that have been defined by suffering. Carly says, “I’m excited for Lewiston and the whole LC valley; I’m excited for the LC valley to experience something that is so well done, that has a long-term impact on people’s lives.” 
 

“Go to Spokane, go tour one of their shelters and see for yourself what they've been doing...”   

We asked her what she’d say to someone considering getting involved in the new expansion: “Just take a step of faith. I would just say that God is doing something with and in and through UGM. And whether you know everything or not, just jump in, and be open and be available and willing to learn and engage. But I’d also say go see what they’ve been doing. Go to Spokane, go tour one of their shelters, and see for yourself what they have done and the process they go through to really care for people and to allow them to be members of society and to experience healing and restoration and ultimately to experience the love of Christ.”