In their time of need, many disenfranchised Americans are also finding themselves suspected and stigmatized by their own society’s obsession with security at any price. Indeed, life for many Americans seems to have become a deadly black-and-white game of choosing sides – "us or them", "good or evil", "blessed or damned" – all in the name of God and country. In such a world, who I am matters far less than where I live, what I wear and who I know. In such a world, the poor always lose.

In this new socio-economic climate of fear and self-interest, Friendship House is searching for ways to make all its homeless ministries better bridges of mutual trust and understanding. Since it believes that the homeless are their own best advocates, Friendship House in 2003 expanded its existing volunteer orientation and training services to include intensive immersion experiences, communal forums and individual mentoring where volunteers and clients can meet as peers and share their common faith and dreams. This expanded volunteer training program includes the following components:

• Street retreats: 6 – 12 hours spent on the streets of Wilmington in prayer and in the company of a homeless mentor.
  
  
• Summer Service Projects: 3 to 5 day immersion experiences, where volunteer teams live at the Andrew’s Place shelter and work in various Friendship house ministries. The projects would include evening sessions with staff and senior volunteers to process their service experiences within the context of the Gospel mission.
  
  
• Course on Homelessness in the 21st Century: Four part course taught by Bill Perkins, executive director of Friendship House, several time each year.
  
  
• Individual Mentoring: Volunteer opportunities to work side by side with a Friendship House staff mentor. Mentoring would include orientation, training and weekly debriefing sessions.