Chaplaincy Innovation Lab - Templeton Religion Trust Journalism Fellows - Noel Rojo gallery
Having no shelter, the unhoused population is constantly exposed to the outside world, which can frequently be a stigmatizing ordeal. How does this impact their inner world, including their spirituality?
Based in Denver, Colorado, our story revolves around the unhoused population, which has increased by one third within a year. The unhoused population in the US already benefits from spiritual care, but there are unique aspects that may affect the demand for it. By sharing stories of the unhoused recipients of spiritual care, we hope to explore the specifics of chaplains' work with this group and to provide guidance to chaplains, organizations, and institutions on how to approach them effectively.
Magdalena and Noel Rojo are a Slovak freelance journalist and a Mexican-American photographer covering social issues, global challenges and human rights. The Rojos founded the documentary project Women Who Stay that brings a different perspective on migration – the perspective of women left behind after their male counterparts migrate. A narrative non-fiction book from the project was published in Slovakia in 2023 including stories from Mexico, Ethiopia, Senegal, India, Romania, and Slovakia. The Rojos were journalist fellows in the Spiritual Exemplars Project by the USC. Their work was published in the international media, such as Thomson Reuters Foundation, The New Humanitarian, Deutsche Welle, Mongabay, and more.
Story
“Recovering connection with God and others: how chaplain’s support Denver’s unhoused,” Religion Unplugged, March 5, 2024. https://religionunplugged.com/news/2024/2/26/recovering-connection-with-god-and-others-how-chaplains-support-denvers-unhoused.
