Inside the Bakery in Rutland on a wintry Thursday morning, ministers Hannah Rogers and John Longworth grabbed a quick bite and soaked in the warmth. Then, bolstered by carbs and caffeine, they headed outdoors for their weekly ritual: a walk around town to check in with the local homeless population. Rogers, the 37-year-old pastor of Rutland's United Methodist Church, conceived of the idea as a way to get out from behind her desk and into the community. She dubbed the mission Faith on Foot. "Nobody is going to come into my office and tell me how hard it is living on the street," Rogers explained. "I need to go out and see that and be a part of it." In 2015, she connected with the community resource officer at Rutland's Project VISION, a collaborative, multi-organizational effort established in 2013 to tackle substance abuse, reduce crime and rebuild neighborhoods. At the time, Rogers was seeing increased evidence of drug use on the grounds of her church, located in the city's beleaguered Northwest neighborhood. VISION's focus on that part of town made it a natural conduit for Rogers to take her ministry to the street. In June 2016, after several months of planning and researching similar street-reach efforts around the country, Rogers took her first walk. Logically, she first toured the Northwest, checking in with agencies with which she'd developed relationships, including Dismas House, Turning Point Center of Rutland, and the city's parole and probation offices. By fall that year, Longworth, 39, the pastor at Rutland's Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, joined Rogers — after she had repeatedly talked up her walks at monthly interfaith meetings with local clergy. Other pastors have occasionally participated in walks since then, but Longworth has become a full partner in the effort. Homelessness is a personal issue for Rogers. During her childhood, she and her family spent close to a year living in campgrounds, vehicles and, eventually, a hunting cabin with no electricity or running water, she revealed. Initially, Rogers' intention was to minister to the addicted individuals she was seeing right outside her door. Soon, however, she and Longworth discovered the broader extent of homelessness. To date, they have documented more than 40 homeless sites within city limits. That number does not include a large encampment in the southwest corner of the city, where it's estimated some 50 people live during warmer months. Rogers said…
Inside the Bakery in Rutland on a wintry Thursday morning, ministers Hannah Rogers and John Longworth grabbed a quick bite and soaked in the warmth. Then, bolstered by carbs and caffeine, they headed outdoors for their weekly ritual: a walk around town to check in with the local homeless population. Rogers, the 37-year-old pastor of Rutland's United Methodist Church, conceived of the idea as a way to get out from behind her desk and into the community. She dubbed the mission Faith on Foot. "Nobody is going to come into my office and tell me how hard it is living on the street," Rogers explained. "I need to go out and see that and be a part of it." In 2015, she connected with the community resource officer at Rutland's Project VISION, a collaborative, multi-organizational effort established in 2013 to tackle substance abuse, reduce crime and rebuild neighborhoods. At the time, Rogers was seeing increased evidence of drug use on the grounds of her church, located in the city's beleaguered Northwest neighborhood. VISION's focus on that part of town made it a natural conduit for Rogers to take her ministry to the street. In June 2016, after several months of planning and researching similar street-reach efforts around the country, Rogers took her first walk. Logically, she first toured the Northwest, checking in with agencies with which she'd developed relationships, including Dismas House, Turning Point Center of Rutland, and the city's parole and probation offices. By fall that year, Longworth, 39, the pastor at Rutland's Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, joined Rogers — after she had repeatedly talked up her walks at monthly interfaith meetings with local clergy. Other pastors have occasionally participated in walks since then, but Longworth has become a full partner in the effort. Homelessness is a personal issue for Rogers. During her childhood, she and her family spent close to a year living in campgrounds, vehicles and, eventually, a hunting cabin with no electricity or running water, she revealed. Initially, Rogers' intention was to minister to the addicted individuals she was seeing right outside her door. Soon, however, she and Longworth discovered the broader extent of homelessness. To date, they have documented more than 40 homeless sites within city limits. That number does not include a large encampment in the southwest corner of the city, where it's estimated some 50 people live during warmer months. Rogers said…