RESOURCES

Books

  • Grace Can Lead Us Home: A Christian Call to End Homelessness by Kevin Nye, 2022. This is the book that drives our goal of ending homelessness, and explains the concept of “Housing First”
  • Building Belonging: The Church’s Call to Build Community and House Our Neighbors; John Cleghorn, 2024
  • Encampment: Resistance, Grace, and an Unhoused Community: Maggie Helwig, 2025
  • Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City; Matthew Desmond, 2016
  • Homelessness is a Housing Problem: How Structural Factors Explain U.S. Patterns; Gregg Colburn and Clayton Page Aldern, 2024
  • Hope For the Mission: Getting it Right in the Call to End Homelessness; Kevin Nye, 2024
  • I See You: How Love Opens Our Eyes to Invisible People; Terence Lester, 2019
  • Praying With Our Feet: Pursuing Justice and Healing on the Streets; Lindsey Krinks, 2022
  • The Emptiness of Our Hands: 47 Days on the Streets; Phyllis Cole-Dai and James Murray, 2018
  • When We Walk By: Forgotten Humanity, Broken Systems, and the Role We Can Each Play in Ending
  • Homelessness in America; Kevin Adler and Donald W. Burnes, 2023

Documentaries


Podcasts

  • HOMELAND; Highlighting the work of those leading efforts to end homelessness in their communities
  • Imagine Dignity; Dr. Terence Lester-Stories and interviews with people on the margins
  • UCLA Housing Voice Podcast, Pathways Home Series; A limited series on homelessness policy and research


Websites

  • CSH – CSH promotes affordable housing with supportive services to ensure everyone has a safe home.
  • East County Assistance – Resources for East San Diego County organized by city, type, and focus of support
  • East County Food Network – This site lists free food resources including food pantries, distributions, and meals available throughout El Cajon and the surrounding East
    County communities.
  • East County Homeless Task Force – The East County Homeless
    Task Force (ECHTF) engages and educates our communities about housing and services for preventing and
    ending homelessness. 
  • Homeless-Experienced Advocacy & Leadership Network – Brings the voices of individuals with lived experience into the center of the conversation to emphasize humanity and drive meaningful policy change.
  • Ignatian Spirituality Project – The Ignatian Spirituality Project (ISP)  invites those recovering from homelessness & addiction to experience God’s unconditional love.  In a small group, they
    encourage  participants to find self-acceptance, hope and healing needed to reclaim their lives. Although rooted in Ignatian spirituality, ISP is non-denominational.  
  • National Faith Coalition to End Homelessness – A nationwide coalition of faith communities working together to end homelessness. La Mesa First UMC is a member.
  • Regional Task Force on Homelessness – Provides essential data and insights on the issue of homelessness, informing policy and driving system design and performance.
  • ServingSeniors – Provides meals and other essential resources for people experiencing homelessness in San Diego
  • Travelers Aid San Diego – Assists with transportation for people experiencing homelessness

Personal Perspectives on homelessness

Statistics about Homelessness

General articles