In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately hurt those who were already hurting: The homeless, prisoners, poor immigrants, and others in poverty. The pandemic also struck the nonprofits working to help them. As the long spring dragged into summer, protests against police over accusations of brutality against African Americans spread around the country and spurred lawmakers and police departments to make changes.

Fifth in a series on long ministry

Brad Evans grew up in western Pennsylvania in a family that attended church only at Christmas and Easter. At age 16, Evans professed faith in Christ after hearing John 6:37 at a summer youth retreat: “Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”

Finding Hope in Hard Things: A Positive Take on Suffering by Pierce Taylor Hibbs: This book’s simple thesis: “Hard things are going to shape us in ways easy things can’t.” Hibbs writes vividly about three hard things in his life—his father’s death (while Hibbs was in college), his anxiety disorder, and his constant self-doubt—and how each has shaped him in positive ways. Hibbs communicates honestly about the pain and shows sympathy to other sufferers while keeping God in the picture.

A Canadian charity got unexpected results when it decided to test whether giving a hand up really is better than giving a handout.

Foundations for Social Change recently released the findings of a study in which it gave homeless people thousands of dollars and followed them for a year. News outlets said the results contradicted stereotypes about the harms of cash payments to the homeless, but those reports overlooked some important features of the study.

With government funding set to expire at the end of the month, states and cities face tough choices about whether to continue covering the costs of hotel rooms for homeless people.

Congress’ spring pandemic relief bill gave states money to shelter the homeless. Many states used the funds to rent hotels where homeless people could quarantine, recover, or shelter in place. But those programs have not all worked as intended, and the federal funding is set to expire at the end of the month.

Two years into her detention at the Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Ga., Pauline Binam experienced an irregular menstrual cycle and saw Dr. Mahendra Amin, an OB-GYN with a practice nearby.

In the 1960s, Greta Arceneaux took out a loan to tear down her old house in Los Angeles and build five rental units on the property. With income from renters, Arceneaux, now 81, saved for retirement and helped her children and grandchildren pay for college. But this year, LA enacted protection for tenants affected by the coronavirus, preventing landlords from evicting them for up to 12 months. Now Arceneaux foots the bills for the property with no guarantee of income. One of her tenants lost his job during the pandemic and stopped paying rent.