Letter To Frank, et al, Shalom! Universal Workshop For All Employees On All Levels of Corporate Management, etc., Including “Heads””
[slso see shorter versions] and (workshop notes)
Frank — a brief thought I wanted to place on your radar.
After more than four decades working directly among the homeless, I have come to believe that society is facing two forms of homelessness: the visible homelessness we see on the streets, and another quieter form that often exists behind the doors of offices, boardrooms, and comfortable homes — people who possess success and resources, yet struggle with purpose, meaning, and the weight of responsibility.
Rather than approaching corporations through the old era of confrontation or “shakedown,” I am developing a workshop based on a different premise: that the rich and the poor must meet together, as Proverbs says, because the LORD is the Maker of them both. When that meeting happens honestly, both sides can rediscover purpose and partnership in addressing society’s deepest challenges.
I will share more with you soon as the curriculum comes together.
— Ted
Agpape-Shalom!
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Shalom Frank, et al, Shalom!
I wanted to briefly share a thought with you as we continue moving forward with the workshop discussions and the broader vision surrounding EXODUS II and the effort to apprehend USICH through POTUS and the national framework we have been outlining.
Back in 2008 I experimented with something that, in hindsight, may now be even more relevant than it was then: conducting workshops for corporate personnel about the real nature of homelessness. Not only the visible condition of people without permanent shelter, but the deeper cultural and psychological dynamics behind it.
Through my years living and working among the homeless, I came to recognize something that many people on the outside do not easily see. There exists a kind of societal mindset surrounding homelessness that affects both those on the streets and those living comfortably within mainstream society.
Many observers see only misery in street homelessness. Yet in some cases, after losing everything society tells them they must hold onto, certain individuals discover a strange and unintended tranquility—an escape from the toxic pressures and anxieties of mainstream life. Having already lost what others fear losing, they sometimes experience a form of freedom from those same pressures.
This observation led me to an even deeper realization.
While social service providers understandably focus on those who are visibly destitute, another form of homelessness often goes unnoticed. I refer to it as invisible homelessness—individuals who possess homes, careers, and financial means, yet internally feel spiritually or emotionally displaced because they lack a deeper sense of purpose or meaning.
In other words, there may be two forms of homelessness in our society:
The first lives on the streets.
The second often lives behind the closed doors of offices, executive suites, and permanent domiciles.
Because those with means are assumed to be fulfilled, their struggles are rarely acknowledged. Yet many corporate leaders quietly carry immense pressures—responsibility, isolation, and the constant demand to perform without pause.
For this reason, I believe the old era of corporate confrontation and “shakedown” tactics that once dominated activist approaches has run its course. In my view, that era effectively ended on February 17, 2026.
What must replace it is something different: a new approach I call the “In Your Interest” era of corporate engagement.
Rather than approaching corporations with accusations or demands, this approach begins with recognition. If we seek the strength and resources of corporate leaders to help address society’s deepest challenges, we must first acknowledge their humanity and the burdens they carry.
To use a simple analogy: if society depends on its champions and leaders, then when those champions are weakened by their own form of kryptonite—burnout, isolation, or loss of purpose—the first task is to help remove that burden so their strength can return.
Scripture captures the deeper truth of this relationship in Proverbs 22:2:
“The rich and the poor meet together; the LORD is the Maker of them all.”
That meeting point—where both recognize their shared humanity before God—has rarely been approached in a spirit of mutual understanding.
With the moral backdrop of Matthew 25:32–46 in mind, my hope is to develop a workshop that speaks not only to the visible condition of homelessness, but also to the deeper human questions affecting people across every level of society—including those entrusted with great corporate responsibility.
I am currently completing the workshop curriculum and will share it with you when it is ready. If it resonates, perhaps we may have the opportunity to convene the first corporate gathering of this kind—one that inaugurates a new era of understanding between those with great means and those who have lost everything.
If not now, when?
If not us, who?
Shalom,
Ted Hayes
Agpape-Shalom!