In November of 1987, the Rev. Gerald Roseberry spent a month living among the homeless in downtown Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona. He chose to do this so he could understand the plight of the homeless and identify how his church could best assist the homeless community.
While assuming the identity of someone experiencing homelessness, Rev. Roseberry noted that the lack of personal identification documents was a serious impediment, preventing the homeless from accessing services to aid them in regaining their self-sufficiency.
As a result of his month of self-imposed homelessness Reverend Gerald Roseberry founded the Ecumenical Chaplaincy for the Homeless in 1988.
