Mission Yearbook: Minute for Mission: Hunger and Homelessness Sunday

When we talk about hunger, we often focus on the food pantries, soup kitchens or grocery stores. But for many families, the root of food insecurity starts at housing stability. Housing and food are deeply linked. Currently, half of all American renters spend more than 30% of their income on housing.¹ For those severely cost-burdened, who are spending over 50% of their income on housing, the tradeoff can be brutal: they cut back on food and healthcare to keep a roof over their heads.² Stabilizing housing is the foundation for freeing up resources so that families can eat.

This is why our congregations are moving from charity to solidarity through Congregation-based Community Organizing (CBCO). CBCO is a grassroots, faith-rooted approach to social transformation that brings together diverse religious congregations to build collective power and address systemic injustices. We are seeing powerful examples across the country. In Louisville, our partners at CLOUT secured a commitment from Metro Council members to champion significant investments for Permanent Supportive Housing in addition to creating a $2.5 million Housing Stabilization fund to help prevent people from becoming unhoused in the first place.³ In Baltimore, our partners at BUILD are addressing the legacy of redlining, which left behind roughly 13,000 vacant and abandoned homes, 20,000 vacant properties, and 36,000 properties at risk of becoming vacant.⁴ BUILD launched a citywide campaign to demand a $3 billion public investment over 15 years to buy up and remediate these properties without displacing current residents. An unprecedented $1.2 billion in public monies has already been committed to this effort through 2040.⁵

The stakes are high. Food costs continue to rise, forcing families to choose between paying the electric bill and putting dinner on the table. According to the latest USDA data, 13.7% of U.S. households faced food insecurity in 2024, a rate that has climbed steadily since 2021.⁶ For Black and Latine families, this burden is disproportionately heavy, with rates nearly double those of white households.⁷ Many report taking on debt just to afford groceries.

By supporting housing justice, we are directly addressing the drivers of hunger. When we fight for affordable housing, fair rents, tenant protections and investment in communities, we are building a foundation where people can thrive. This type of solidarity matters! Let us commit to organizing for both full plates and safe homes, because addressing the root causes of hunger can help stabilize every other aspect of life.

Jennifer R. Evans, Associate for Presbyterian Hunger Program National Partnerships and Communications

Notes:

Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, “America’s Rental Housing 2024,” January 2024, jchs.harvard.edu.
Food Research & Action Center, “Food Insecurity and Housing Instability Are Inextricably Linked,” 2024, frac.org.
CLOUT, “Current Work — Housing,” accessed September 2026, cloutky.org.
BUILD, “Addressing Baltimore’s Vacant Housing Crisis at Scale,” accessed September 2026, buildiaf.org.
Greater Baltimore Committee, “Mayor Scott, BUILD, & GBC Announce Landmark Agreement,” accessed September 2026, gbc.org.
Matthew P. Rabbitt et al., Household Food Security in the United States in 2024 (Washington, D.C.: USDA Economic Research Service, 2025), ers.usda.gov.
Bread for the World, “Rising Expenses and Food Insecurity: An American Reality,” 2025, bread.org.

Let us join in prayer for:

Adam Foster, Accountant, Financial Reporting, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), A Corporation
Penny Franklin, Executive Relations Coordinator, Executive Office, The Presbyterian Foundation