Pastor Michael Olufemi Adekoya
Housing Advocacy
He believes that while Prayer is the key foundation to solving problems or challenges, it is equally important to take practical steps to tackle these.
As Minister-in-Charge of the Solution Centre Swanscombe (in Kent) branch of the Christ Apostolic Church, he has spiritual authority over the Church's community project - Solution House, which was established in 2009. The team at Solution house work tirelessly to accommodate quite a number of homeless people covering a wide area of Greenwich, Bexley, Kent and Essex.
Pastor Michael Olufemi Adekoya
Pastor Michael Olufemi Adekoya
Supporting residents in their tenancy is at the heart of the partnership of Solution House and Green Pastures. He and his team believe that "placing the residents in the property is simply the start. The support the resident receives is what really determines the success of the ministry we are engaging in.
"Many of our residents will come to our project with large debts. Debt is often the cause of great anxiety and depression amongst our tenants, so one of the most effective ways we can love and serve them is to help them to get out of debt. Getting out of debt is a long process that may take years. So, we as the housing provider are in an almost unique position to help our residents tackle the long-term debt. We work a local church near us that has a Christians Against Poverty (CAP) Debt Advice Centre."
Pastor Michael Olufemi Adekoya adds: "As a Christian project, we know that all have fallen short of God’s standard, all of us have turned from Him and rebelled, all people, be they landlords or residents, need the saving grace of Christ. This is a great leveller. Ultimately our greatest need is to be reconciled to God through Christ, and that is a homeless person’s greatest need too. A friendly chat and a listening ear over a cup of tea and sharing a meal together. A variety of these and other examples add up to the resident being regularly loved. This means the resident is far more likely to settle well and see fruits in their lives. We all want to see really successful tenancies."