Steve Olney, of the Reading Vineyard Church - and a team of other Christians forming the SMITE team - help the homeless people of Reading by listening to their stories and giving them support.
Every Monday evening, the SMITE (Street Ministry in The Evening) team walk around Reading Town Centre looking for the homeless in doorways and under covered ways to offer them food, supplies, and conversation.
By doing this, Steve and his team aim to give the homeless a way of talking about their days and being respected as humans instead of ignored as they sometimes are by the general public.
Through listening to these peoples’ stories and hearing about their days, the SMITE team hope that they ‘make them feel heard’.
Steve feels that the people on the streets deserve more attention than the council can provide - such as more intensive emotional support.
‘Maybe what we do gives them strength to go on for a little longer.’
He’s met people from all kinds of different backgrounds: people that have been abused; have had rough upbringings; evicted; harassed; people that have or are fighting addiction.
Steve takes with him soup, sandwiches and chocolate biscuits if the people they meet are hungry - and gloves, hats, scarves, socks, shelters and blankets for those that are cold.
If they encounter someone with physical or emotional struggles, they might offer to pray with them and 'ask God to heal them'.
Although change through groups like the SMITE team may be subjective, each step towards improving the homeless environment truly does make a difference to the lives of the people Steve meets.
And that makes Reading a stronger and healthier community for us all.
