ENCOUNTERS
A Shared Research Initiative 2026-2028
Temple of the Forgotten & Sacred Streets
Pillar Two - Sacred Encounters
This initiative centers a nationwide ethnographic research project to investigate the role of spirituality in the lives of people experiencing homelessness and exhumanization. Half of this research project will be dedicated to listening and documenting the work of spiritual care providers, street chaplains and community chaplains across the country; mining their stories and practices for deeper wisdom and insights into how spiritual care functions as a powerful—and often invisible—tool of survival, dignity, meaning-making and connection. This pillar builds an evidence base for a more relational, whole-person approach to addressing the poverty of our communities, rooted in the essential work of professional spiritual care providers from many different backgrounds and expertises.
Evaluation & Impact Framework
Objectives
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Document and analyze practices of street chaplains, spiritual care providers and community chaplains.
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Support providers with community, training, support and visibility
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Build foundational infrastructure for spiritual care in homelessness systems
Evaluation Questions
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What are the core practices and needs of chaplains/spiritual care providers in this field?
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What is the impact of the chaplains/spiritual care providers in this field on their clients?
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How does peer support/cohort formation affect provider sustainability?
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What systemic change might follow from professionalizing this work?
Outputs & Metrics
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Stage One: Community of Practice with spiritual care providers working with marginalized communities.
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National cohort of chaplains formed: 10 members; 1 year of structured engagement; one all-expenses paid in-person gathering.
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Stage Two: Nationwide ethnographic research study of spiritual care providers and street chaplains across the U.S (Contains its own set of outputs and deliverables).
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Spiritual care provider interviews completed: At least 20 over two years
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Interview analysis + report shared: 1 publicly accessible PDF
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Stage Two: Spiritual Care Fellows & Research Program for emerging chaplains.
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Monthly group meetings, one-on-one support from program heads, stipend for 25 hrs/week. (All on zoom, location is according to the Fellows’ choice)
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Expected logging and reporting of client interactions, impact and approaches.
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Three chaplains per year, one year Fellow Program.
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Stage Three: Creation of a national dataset and published findings on our research website.
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Public-facing resources (toolkit, guide): 1 downloadable “Street Chaplaincy Guide”
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Stage Four: Ecumenical certification program for street chaplain and spiritual care provision.
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Online chaplain training program developed: 1 recurring course pilot
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Stage Four: Conference on the Spiritual Care for the Unhoused and Marginalized
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Development of presentation for local governments as public information