A Catastrophe of Catastrophes: Religion and Homelessness in Denver

Abstract

Homelessness is a catastrophe of catastrophes shaped by centuries of oppression, economic exploitation, racism, and decimated public investment. When walking the streets of Denver, it is impossible to miss the impacts of multiple compounding catastrophes that result in homelessness. Living unsheltered is the ultimate end of the line for those who have been cast aside by society. This paper explores the ways homelessness intersects with religion by analyzing a narrative of the Colorado Village Collaborative and the emergency shelter Safe Outdoor Spaces project. Calling upon the work of Janet Jakobsen, this paper excavates the way religion, as an interlocking set of forces, shapes the political structures and ideological assumptions that perpetuate homelessness, informs community response to the crisis of homelessness, and compels imaginative work to move beyond entrenched ideologies that perpetuate homelessness.

Keywords: homelessness, religion, Weber, Work, Deserve, hierarchy