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Across the country, American cities are unsuccessfully grappling with how best to address homelessness. This month, Austin criminalized sitting, lying, or camping in public. Sausalito, an upscale community in the Bay Area canceled its annual art festival when its location conflicted with the proposed place to relocate the homeless population that is currently living on the city\u2019s waterfront. Los Angeles is considering moving forward with establishing a government-funded tent encampment.\nNationally, here\u2019s how The New York Times summed it up in March of this year."Homelessness in the United States rose for the fourth straight year, with about 580,000 people living on the streets or in temporary shelter at the start of 2020, according to an annual nationwide survey that was completed before the pandemic.But the report, which was released on Thursday, almost certainly underestimates the spread, depth and urgency of the crisis, and not by a little, federal officials warned.Beyond the myriad factors that leave people on streets, expiring COVID-19 moratoriums on evictions mean that millions may soon find themselves without housing.\nFor decades, Christian ministries have served food and offered temporary housing to people experiencing homelessness. Whose needs have these organizations traditionally met? And how successful have they been?John Ashmen has served as the CEO of Citygate Network since 2007, previously known as the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions and is the author of Invisible Neighbors. Before he went to what\u2019s now Citygate, he served in the COO role of the Christian Camp and Conference Association.\nAshmen joined global media manager Morgan Lee and executive editor Ted Olsen to talk about why homelessness is getting worse, why Christians don\u2019t always agree on the solutions, and what it means for the church to love its neighbor when trying to consider what is best for those on the street, local businesses, and the safety of all.\nWhat is Quick to Listen? Read more\nRate Quick to Listen on Apple Podcasts\nFollow the podcast on Twitter\nFollow our hosts on Twitter: Morgan Lee and Ted Olsen\nLearn more about our guest\u2019s organization: Citygate Network\nRead John Ashmen\u2019s interview at The Exchange\nMusic by Sweeps\nQuick to Listen is produced by Morgan Lee and Matt Linder\nThe transcript is edited by Bunmi Ishola\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices