The Atlantic City, New Jersey, Rescue Mission's leader said the nation must confront mental-health drivers of homelessness after a Vatican call for action.
"What we've come to understand is that mental illness has really come to the forefront as a very big factor in those who are experiencing homelessness," , told "EWTN News Nightly" on Aug. 7.
"Over the years it's been addiction, both alcohol and narcotic kind, and then just traumatic family events, death of a loved one, things like that," he said. "But the largest number in recent years is really dealing with mental health."
The Atlantic City Rescue Mission is one of the nation's oldest homeless outreach centers, providing shelter, meals, addiction recovery, job training, mental health services, and long-term support for individuals experiencing homelessness.
"We're the largest shelter in southern new Jersey," Brown said. "An interesting note, during COVID, we were the only shelter that actually remained open during the whole time of COVID. So we really have seen it all."
The Vatican released a message July 30 urging the United Nations to include the homeless in efforts to create sustainable cities, stating that the "persistence of homelessness should trouble the conscience of the international community."
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'s annual Point-In-Time (PIT) report, 745,652 people were homeless in the U.S. in 2025, including 266,320 people living on the street on a single night in January 2025. While the total number of homeless people in the U.S. has increased by 27% since 2013, the number decreased by 3% from 2024 to 2025.
Ultimately, when addressing the underlying causes of homelessness, Brown emphasized the need to provide hope to those who arrive at the mission.
"When someone steps through the doorway into the mission, it's their worst day," he said. "Our job is to serve them as we've been called to be servants to the poor and servants to the homeless, which is to really provide them with hope."
"If we just feed and house and don't share the Gospel, we've really done an injustice to that individual. So that's paramount," Brown said.
