The rural poor do not line up at the local shelter each evening or stand at the street corner with a cardboard sign – their suffering is different, it is characterized by isolation, anonymity, and a complete lack of resources. We cannot continue to apply strategies designed for large concentrations of homeless individuals in urban settings to those living in campers without electricity, in dilapidated tobacco barns, and in backwoods encampments. On June 19, 2019, we are gathering those who are passionate about serving these invisible poor– homeless advocates, case managers, pastors, volunteers, health care providers, food pantries, clothing closets, people of color, people of faith, researchers, developers – all those who want to develop and implement fresh ideas for securing housing, health care, and human rights for those in rural poverty.
