Once again it is my privilege to write a short reflection on the work of Acton Homeless Concern from my position as parish priest. The building which houses Emmaus House is next door but one to the Presbytery and just round the corner from the church, and Damien Centre lies less than 100 yards away. Many of the volunteers who work with such dedication are parishioners here at Our Lady of Lourdes and the parish is proud to be so closely associated with and to support in many ways the work of Acton Homeless Concern.

The need for a local centre where those who are homeless or inadequately housed can find food, clothing, friendship, companionship and advocacy remains as much a pressing need now as it did when the doors of the charity first opened.  All are welcome, and it is no surprise that over the years the number of clients who are refugees has grown.  Refugees form about 5% of the London Borough of Ealing and there are some 60,000+ refugees in the West London area.  Asylum seekers and refugees are some of the most marginalized and vulnerable people, often living in poor accommodation with poor or limited access to the services they need.  In many neighbourhoods they are viewed with suspicion, hostility and prejudice, and all this against a background where most of them have lost everything – their families, their homes, their dreams for the future.  Bishop Patrick O’Donohue reminds us that, “refugees are the product of failure – the failure of states and societies to promote peace, reconciliation, development and human rights.” 

The media continues to whip up a storm of hostility, xenophobia, even sometimes violence against refugees and migrants, and because of the world stage on which the decisions that cause people to have to flee their homes are made, we can often feel very helpless and that there is very little we can do.  However, as a Christian community centred on the Gospel, we may not be able to solve the problems of the whole world, but we are called to make difference in our world here in Acton.  Acton Homeless Concern is a great blessing for the people of Acton as it enables them to respond to the Gospel call to welcome, feed, clothe and befriend strangers, and to discover that they are no longer strangers, but brothers, sisters and fellow travellers.

It also enables us to remember that in a sense all of us are refugees.  We all come to God seeking a place of safety from the storms of life.  The writer of Hebrews reminds us, “Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters.  Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”