Being with

We believe in “being with” people ahead of “working for” them.

Many people feel uncomfortable when they see a fellow human facing homelessness. The injustice and destitution can understandably make us want to take action to find a solution to the problem of homelessness and to fix things in the person’s life.

But many of our friends who know what it is to be homeless say their lives aren’t a problem to be solved, and that they would first appreciate human connection and relationship ahead of solutions imposed upon their lives.

“Nine times out of ten, I just want a conversation… the loneliness is the worst thing.”

“When I was sleeping rough, for someone to come up to me and have a proper conversation, that would last me weeks... that’s the power it gives you.”

We believe that building up relationships of trust, listening to people, empowering people, and spending time with people in healthy community can make a real, lasting difference.

Our relational approach begins with non-judgement, not trying to work for people, but rather being with people; listening to them, understanding them and sharing in our common humanity; showing dignity, mutual respect and love.

“When I was homeless and in hostels, I just wanted someone to be with me.”

Our Christian faith lays the foundations for this approach of “being with”.

In Jesus Christ, God was with humanity, sharing our dreams, struggles and sorrows. In fact, Jesus spent the first 30 years of his life on earth simply “being with” the people of Nazareth before any “working for” them occured.*

We seek to embody and live out this ethos of “being with” in all we do and to share it with people of all faiths and none. We are grateful to be able to operate in this deeply relational way alongside many other statutory services and charities doing fantastic work in Cambridge.

*For a fuller exploration of the theology of “Being with” , please see Samuel Well’s “A Nazareth Manifesto”