Blessings of the Burden: Reflections and Lessons on Helping the Homeless
Overview
In Blessings of the Burden Alan R. Burt shares his heart for people who are homeless. Full of personal stories drawn from almost two decades of first-hand experience working with the homeless, this book is a passionate plea for greater community involvement in confronting the pressing social problem of homelessness.
Unfolding in five parts, Blessings of the Burden includes Burt’s own journey from apathy to advocacy, a moving interview with a formerly homeless man who is now the director of an organization that fights homelessness in Cape Cod, Burt’s analysis of the fourteen main reasons why homelessness is such a massive problem in America, and an example of how one community developed an innovative and cost-effective approach to helping the homeless among them. Powerful and compelling, Blessings of the Burden will inspire readers to get involved with the homeless and to become advocates for their needs, believing that they can make a difference in their communities.
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Interested in similar titles? Be sure to check out Eerdmans Pastoral Resources Collection (8 vols.).
- Presents fourteen reasons why homelessness is a problem in America
- Discusses the need for greater community involvement in confronting homelessness
- Includes personal stories of first-hand experience working with the homeless
Blessings of the Burden is a heartfelt reflection on the plight of the homeless in America. In this touching personal account of his own work with homeless people, Alan Burt gives voice to the voiceless among us—people we all too often ignore and neglect. Woven into this compilation of stories is a perceptive analysis of the forces that cause homelessness as well as prayers and lessons about what ordinary people like us can do. May this slim volume find a broad readership.
—Steven Bouma-Prediger, professor of religion, Hope College
Alan Burt’s journey, his message, and his ability to translate conviction into action are an inspiration. He is proof positive that individuals with faith, vision, and commitment can make profound differences in the lives of individuals and communities.
—Dan Wolf, Massachusetts State Senator
The remarkable story of care and advocacy for the homeless on Cape Cod is inextricable from the life and witness of Alan Burt. Readers will be drawn into the sorrows and joys of the real people who are his companions on a shared journey. . . . A model of ministry for other communities.
—Gabriel Fackre, Emeritus Abbot Professor of Christian Theology, Andover Newton Theological School
People of faith who seek solutions to the moral disgrace of homelessness, who want to move from servicing homelessness to solving the problem, will benefit from this story.
—Philip F. Mangano, president and CEO, American Round Table to Abolish Homelessness
Alan R. Burt is a state-licensed social worker who has been advocating for and working with the homeless since 1993 in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.