Kingdom returns: Putting money to work

In one of Jesus’ parables (Matthew 25:14-30), a wealthy man puts three of his servants in charge of different amounts of money. Two of the servants invest the money and see it grow as a result. The remaining servant is fearful, so he buries the money in the ground. It stays safe but gains nothing.

As with all Jesus’ parables, it’s a story with a challenge: how do we put to work the resources at our disposal? How do we maximise the impact of what we have been given?

It’s the essence of the word stewardship.

And of course, there are no shortage of Christian charities and causes which need donations. But there are fewer Christian initiatives to invest in: where capital is not just given away but is put to work for God’s purposes.

Investing for Kingdom impact

Hope into Action is an innovative Christian response to homelessness which has investment at its very core. Our journey began in 2010, when our founder, Ed Walker MBE, decided to use an inheritance to buy a house for homeless people in Peterborough. From this one house, we have grown in the years since into a network of 119 houses across the country and have attracted over £30m of investment.

We partner with local churches to transform houses into homes for those who have experienced homelessness. Hope into Action offers professional support, while the local church offers friendship and community. This combination is what makes our model an effective and holistic approach to addressing the complex issue of homelessness. We bring together the financial capital to provide the resource of a house, the social capital of a church community to provide relationships and the spiritual capital of Christian hope.

And we see great results! Last year, we housed 486 people. 94% of those who had served a custodial sentence did not return to prison. 89% of those with drug or alcohol issues stabilised or reduced their usage and 91% improved their mental health. 69% of our tenants wanted to be prayed with and 16 decided to get baptised.

This model has won awards from many secular bodies, such as The Guardian and Centre for Social Justice. In 2024, we won an Excellence Award from the national umbrella body Homeless Link.

Rebuilding walls, restoring homes

In 2025 we are launching a new initiative called The Isaiah Fund. As an organisation we have always been inspired by Isaiah 58: “You will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes” (58:12 NLT).

In partnership with Stewardship, we are enabling Philanthropy Fund donors to have part of their Stewardship balance allocated to the Isaiah Fund and used collectively for ‘rebuilding walls and restoring homes’ so that homeless people can make a new start.  The donor’s Stewardship balance will receive a return of up to 2% per annum.

Let’s remember, faith alone doesn’t house people, action does. 

Support charities working in the area of UK poverty and debt

If you want to support charities working in this area, including ones like Hope into Action that are focused specifically on homelessness, follow the link below.

Visit the UK Poverty and Debt Cause

Applying these principles to a Stewardship account

For our Philanthropy Fund accounts only, there is an option to nominate your own bespoke investment opportunity. This includes (but is not limited to) social impact investments such as Hope into Action’s Isaiah Fund.

Get in touch

Disclaimers:
All investment decisions in relation to the balance of your Stewardship account are made at the discretion of Stewardship’s Trustees, and any investment made from the balance of your Stewardship account is made by Stewardship as principal.

Please note Stewardship is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and does not offer investment, tax or legal advice, nor recommendations in relation to investments. Please read our Investment Disclaimer for further details.