Marvin Olasky

a-homeless-person-lying-on-a-bench-with-city-traffic-in-the-837013589-stockpack-adobe_stock
a homeless person lying on a bench, with city traffic in the background
Image Credit: G.Go - Adobe Stock
Marvin Olasky
April 11, 2025
Homelessness
5

Warm-Hearted, Tough-Minded Compassion: An Interview with Bob Coté

Marvin Olasky
April 11, 2025
Homelessness
5
Next month I’ll lay out my upcoming book on homelessness, but the book will only make sense if you understand the process of Step 13 and Springs Rescue Mission that I’ve laid out in this first quarter of the year — so here’s part of an interview I did with Bob Coté 16 years ago. Read More ›
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Starving homeless people receive food from volunteers who serve humane : The concept of giving
Image Credit: kuarmungadd - Adobe Stock
Marvin Olasky
March 14, 2025
Homelessness
5

Springs Rescue Mission: More Than Food and a Bed

Marvin Olasky
March 14, 2025
Homelessness
5
After some residents complained that those who join the Hope program get better food and the same bed every night, Leinweber asked, "There are some things we've put around this population that makes life harder; is that compassionate?" Then-CEO Jack Briggs responded, "It depends on what you want to incentivize." He criticized approaches that let people settle into victimhood with no sense that they can change their lives: "I don't think that's compassion." Read More ›
group-of-homeless-people-warming-themselves-by-a-fire-winter-696098283-stockpack-adobe_stock
Group of homeless people warming themselves by a fire, winter underpass at night.
Image Credit: Irina - Adobe Stock
Marvin Olasky
February 21, 2025
Homelessness
4

Mixed Messages of Hope

Marvin Olasky
February 21, 2025
Homelessness
4
people-praying-to-god-at-home-on-black-background-with-peopl-577817946-stockpack-adobe_stock
people praying to god at home on black background with people stock photo
Image Credit: herlanzer - Adobe Stock
Marvin Olasky
February 14, 2025
Homelessness
4

Springs Rescue Mission: Spiritual Recovery Through Love, Not Force

Marvin Olasky
February 14, 2025
Homelessness
4
A Springs Rescue Mission (SRM) document declares, "Our faith is why we do what we do, but faith is never required of others to receive basic relief services.…We believe it is God's job to change people, not ours." Old-style missions often thought they could change people by requiring attendance at chapel services. SRM does not have a campus church or any required service. Read More ›
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Man with addiction sharing mental health issues with group at aa meeting, talking to therapist. People having conversation about depression and rehabilitation at therapy session.
Image Credit: DC Studio - Adobe Stock
Marvin Olasky
January 17, 2025
Homelessness
5

Wednesday, 6:30 a.m. at Springs Rescue Mission in Colorado Springs

Marvin Olasky
January 17, 2025
Homelessness
5
My columns over the next few weeks will become part of an eventual book, but before too long goes by, it’s time to describe how I spent part of my summer vacation in 2024. The summer prior, I had enjoyed the great beauty of the Colorado Springs area, including the Garden of the Gods, with its beautifully soaring red rock sandstone formations at 6,400 feet above sea level. It’s the number one park in the United States, according to Trip Advisor, but my Colorado Springs sojourn this past summer was on run-down Las Vegas Street. Read More ›
cheerful-boy-play-game-or-closeup-of-playing-cards-in-kid-ha-528605846-stockpack-adobe_stock
cheerful boy play game or closeup of playing cards in kid hand indoor
Image Credit: k0teika - Adobe Stock
Marvin Olasky
January 10, 2025
Homelessness
5

A Fistful of ACEs

Marvin Olasky
January 10, 2025
Homelessness
5
An ideological war about homelessness is raging. Many on the right say substance abuse and mental illness cause homelessness. Many on the left emphasize the cost of housing. Those factors are real, but while living among and interviewing 80 men and women who had suffered long-term homelessness in Missouri, California, and Colorado, I learned more about what both sides underestimate: the impact of ACEs (“adverse childhood experiences”). Read More ›
a-man-is-rowing-a-boat-in-the-ocean-stockpack-adobe-stock-810667361-stockpack-adobe_stock
A man is rowing a boat in the ocean
Image Credit: Alexandr - Adobe Stock
Marvin Olasky
January 3, 2025
Homelessness
4

Boats Against the Current

Marvin Olasky
January 3, 2025
Homelessness
4
After writing weekly columns about homelessness for two-and-a-half years, I'm ready to put what I've learned into book form. It will be my 30th book and maybe my last, although (as chapter 12 of Ecclesiastes states) "of making many books there is no end." But since I have written a lot, I'll paraphrase the opening of the Declaration of Independence: "a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires" that I declare the reason for writing a book on homelessness when a bunch already exist. Read More ›