Charity Detox

Charity Detox, written by Robert Lupton challenges the traditional notion of charity. What would charity look like if we actually cared about the results? This is the fundamental question Lupton wants to answer. Lupton not only believes that charity does not help those that it wishes to serve, but has deeply negative consequences for its recipients. This book is a follow up to Lupton’s first book, Toxic Charity, which poses the question of whether the way charity operates is beneficial or not. This book seeks the answers on how to move the poverty needle in the right direction.

 Lupton states, “We have been lead to believe that our volunteer service alleviates poverty. This is wrong. If there is one message that this book attempts to drive home, it is that we cannot serve people out of poverty. And yet our massive service industry is based upon this false premise. If we truly do want to see the poor thrive, our entire way of thinking, of believing must change.”

One red flag is the unhealthy dependency that develops in those that are receiving charity.

            “Feed a person once, it elicits appreciation.

              Feed him twice, it creates anticipation.

              Feed him three times, it creates expectation.

              Feed him four times, it becomes an entitlement.

              Feed him five times, it produces dependency.”

There are also psychological issues that can occur with dependence. If people feel that they do not have control over their future they can fall into a state of learned helplessness and lose their dignity. This affects self-esteem and the motivation to find work. Think about it. If you knew that every couple of weeks new groups of people are coming with free food and clothes, your motivation to work would be diminished. If you can get it for free, why work for it. So how does the thinking change?

One way is an alteration of our mindset. The only effective charity is the kind that asks more from those being served, rather than less. This statement resonates with me. During my time as an Occupational Therapy student I have seen that the patients that will improve from therapy are those that buy into the program, take it home with them and make it their own. We can give them the best therapy in the world, but if they are only receiving therapy once a week their rehabilitation will not improve. It is important that they buy in themselves.

One of the most significant, rational decisions that determine the outcome of our charity is distinguishing between crisis and chronic need.  In times of crisis, it is important that an emergency intervention is initiated. People need food, shelter, and healthcare. However, when the bleeding has stopped, it is time to move into a time of rehabilitation and this is where we run into problems. We continue to serve in a crisis mode for years after a crisis when we should have moved to rehabilitation. Realistically, this is much more difficult and more time consuming.

NEIGHBORHOOD PROGRAMS

Lupton gives an example of two similar programs in Knoxville, Tennessee that help the homeless in the city. One program provides food and shelter to the homeless with complete grace and open doors. Anyone can come in for a warm blanket and some hot food, no strings attached. The other program allows individuals to stay with them for a week, however they must help with the laundry, prepare meals, clean dishes, and participate in work readiness workshops to find a job. Those that buy into the program are evaluated and are able to stay longer until they secure a job or find another place to stay. Those that do not buy into the program are kindly asked to look elsewhere for shelter.

The second program may seem harsher than the first, but has exceedingly better results to alleviate poverty. There are fewer individuals in the program, but more are moving out and finding employment. The first program (with good-natured intentions) frequently has to call the police when fights break out as people jostle for space in lines for food. Empowering individuals is much more charitable than fostering dependence.

For those that are interested in making a difference in low-income neighborhoods Lupton describes the 3 R’s:

• Re-neighboring-Reweaving the social fabric of the community by creating mixed-income neighborhoods. The very presence of vested neighbors committed to ridding their streets of drugs, improving, educational opportunities, and restoring homes ignites hope and kindles visions of what the community can become.
• Reconciliation—co-existence of neighborhoods even when things do not go well. If you think of racially mixed churches, it is very easy to live if the politics get messy or things are not going well. However, when things go badly in a neighborhood, it isn’t quite as easy to pull up the stakes and leave. Reconciliation involves reaching across the barriers of race, class, and culture receiving, as well as giving, and learning to respect and trust those from whom we have been estranged.
• Redistribution—bridges the chasm between the poor and the rich. It is the natural outcome of being neighbors in a diverse community. This is a sort of exchange between neighbors including the mechanic, the nurse, and the business exec who can help others find jobs.

 MISSION TRIPS

Lupton also talks about the need to partner with business leader when running mission trips. Providing jobs for those in poverty allows the poverty needle to move in a positive direction. Without a viable economy, communities will not prosper. Bringing used clothing and shoes automatically seems like a great idea to help those in need. However, these items can actually cut into local businesses and decrease job opportunities. In contrast, if mission groups came to another country and went to local markets and bought their products, it would be much more beneficial for the local citizens. He gives several examples of for-profit organizations that are making sizeable impacts including One Thousand and One Voices (1K1V), Christian Community Development Association (CCDA), and his own organization, FCS Urban Ministries.

In conclusion, how do we alleviate poverty, according to Lupton:

HOW?

• Encourage religious tourism
• Stop undercutting local businesses by distributing suitcases full of clothing, shoes, candy, and other giveaways.
• Support local self-sufficiency by offering technical training
• Provide business loans to entrepreneurs
• Invest with locals in for-profit businesses
• Hire unemployed/underemployed workers
• Start for-profit businesses that employ local residents

I have had the opportunity to participate on a multitude of mission trips and have never really raised the question of how well we are helping those we serve. In reality the $2000 check we write to go overseas on a mission trip benefits the airlines we fly on more than the people we serve. When missions are done correctly there is a heart change for those that serve and those that are receiving service. Heart changes move a person who is currently down on his or her luck in a radically different direction. Reliance upon God increases. Dependence on God for daily bread—for body as well as soul—becomes integral to one’s faith journey. 

When we couple God’s grace with a smarter approach to charity we can truly make a more lasting, durable impact.