A HOME AWAY FROM HOMELESSNESS
OUR HOMELESS HOSPITALITY HOUSE
The Hangar was originally an old abandoned Quonset Hut that we have remodeled into a private residence. This is the heart of our mission. We invite our homeless friends inside our home, and away from all of the stress that comes from the streets. This is where we spend time together investing in relationships, and these relationships are the foundation for everything we do.
Our home is a place of safety and refuge where each individual can feel comfortable taking the next step in their journey toward ending their homeless situation, with the confidence that they are not alone. In our home we strive to cultivate a culture of family and community.
Our mission is to end homelessness by helping individuals find hope, healing, and restoration. Our methods and approach are unconventional and organic, but they work. We believe housing alone will never end homelessness, but community will.
OUR STRATEGY
It is our belief that the root cause of homelessness is not mental illness, addiction, a criminal back ground, job loss, or even loss of housing.
Many of the people we serve have experienced significant trauma, often beginning early in life.
The issues we see on the the surface are the result of the trauma.
Among the people we serve at The Hangar, most of whom have been living unsheltered for long periods of time, we encounter significant barriers to accepting services.
Trauma can contribute to addiction. Addiction can deepen isolation. Untreated mental illness can make it difficult to navigate services. Broken relationships can leave people without the support they need to begin again.
Housing alone will never fix this problem.
We believe restoration begins when people experience relationships that are honest, consistent, compassionate, and rooted in love.
As Christ-followers we strive to be obedient to the word of God who calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Our strategy is to simply live and love like Jesus, and to make a tangible difference in the lives of every individual that we serve by walking side by side in humble, empowering, relationships.
We believe that God created us to be in community, and the first community he created was family.
As humans, we all crave a sense of belonging. We all want to know that we belong somewhere, and family is the strongest bond of belonging there is.
Every individual has their own story, their own strengths and weaknesses, their own gifts and talents.
Our strategy is to create authentic, healthy, Christ-centered, family relationships of trust and love that lead to wholeness, wellness, and the ability of every individual to recognize their own inherent dignity and self-worth.
There are times when helping can be counterproductive, and we end up enabling the same individuals we are trying to help. Our strategy of helping is founded on principles and philosophies from the books When Helping Hurts and Toxic Charity, and has three phases; Crisis, Rehabilitation, and Development.
In a crisis situation, we provide Relief from immediate suffering, but after the Crisis situation has been resolved, we build relationships, set goals, and work toward those goals. Even if it's baby steps, We move away from one way giving toward Rehabilitation and eventually the Development phase.
Rehabilitation and Development phases of helping require mutual participation and empower individuals as we do "with' and not "for".
We walk alongside individuals and advocate for them as they begin to feel empowered to do what they can for themselves.
Partnership with our community is one of our most important strategies.
Partnership and Collaboration in Mission is not only the most efficient and effective method, but it is also an outward reflection of our unity and submission to Christ who called us to be the Church. We all have different functions, but we are one body.
We have been blessed to learn and grow along side those whom God is using in our city. We work in Collaboration and in Partnership with organizations like Mission Waco, Salvation Army, and Throwing Aces. We also work with and we are supported by many local churches in our city.
We have been commissioned to share what we have learned so that mission leaders and workers in our city can work together in unity and strength toward ending homelessness for individuals in our city.
CONTACT US
THE HANGAR
501c(3) EIN 30-1009442
OUR ADDRESS:
417 South 17th St Waco, Texas 76706
HOURS:
M-F 8am - 12pm
CALL:
254-495-8596
The Hangar is not an overnight shelter.
If you are seeking shelter services or housing
information please call 211.