CLEVELAND — Through a collaboration with the Community West Foundation, a statue named Homeless Jesus was temporarily installed at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church a few days ago. Priest Alex Martin says the statue, created by a Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz, is there to remind people that homelessness is a significant problem.

 

What You Need To Know

  • A priest in northeast Ohio is using a statue to start conversations in his community about homelessness

  • Homeless Jesus was temporarily installed at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church a few days ago to remind people that homelessness is a significant problem

  • Within just a few minutes of the statue’s arrival, the police were called to investigate a report of a man sleeping on a park bench.

“One of the goals was just obviously to raise awareness of homelessness and extreme poverty, and even though here in Bay Village we're largely insulated from the kind of extreme poverty that leads to people sleeping on benches, we don't have to drive far to find it. Another goal of having Homeless Jesus here is to remind people of our Christian belief that all people are created in God's image, and that all life holds sacred value especially lives that have been cast to the curb," Martin says.

 

Martin says he understands why seeing “a man” sleeping on a park bench in this neighborhood may be jarring to some, but he didn’t expect that within just a few minutes of the statue’s arrival, the police would be dispatched to investigate a report of a man sleeping on a park bench.

“The officer (who) responded was very professional and was interested in the statue and learning more about it and what our goals were. And I think that reaction, especially being so sudden—which is the thing that I found most surprising is that only took a few minutes—but I think that reaction points to the power of the sculpture,” Martin says.

He says he is sure that the almost-immediate call to the police was done out of concern, but the call has also started a much needed conversation—a conversation he hopes leads to concrete action. 

“It forces us to confront something that makes us uncomfortable. And it should make us uncomfortable. It should make us uncomfortable that our siblings are sleeping outside and don't have places to live. And so, in that way, I think Homeless Jesus is doing exactly what we hope to do in sparking conversations.”

Martin says the presence of the statue has already led to donations, and the church will continue to raise money for organizations that provide direct services to those experiencing homelessness, such as the Community West Foundation. The organization owns the statue and provides basic needs of food, clothing, shelter and medical care to the most needy in and around western Cuyahoga County.