Opinion: Road to dependency is paved with good intentions

Jason Hynson

The longest federal government shutdown in history is over. Employees are back in the office; parks, museums and airports are up and running; and food stamps, utility assistance and housing vouchers are rolling out.

At Victory Mission, we immediately saw the effects of the shutdown. There was a dramatic influx of people contacting us about food resources. In southwest Missouri, 1 in 5 children and 1 in 6 adults receive food assistance, according to Ozarks Food Harvest. More than 31,000 people in Greene County alone use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, to feed themselves and their families, according to Missouri Department of Social Services.

Lines of cars wrapped around every church and nonprofit in Springfield as people waited for a bag of food. Seniors, moms and young couples posted on Facebook asking for help. The need was instant and we were scrambling to meet it.

Every day, I held meetings with our staff, spoke with men in our shelter and talked with local leaders, planning Victory Mission’s response to this crisis. We don’t receive federal funding, so our resources stayed the same, but the need in our community had skyrocketed.

At Victory, we served three times as many meals during the shutdown at over 9,000 meals total.

Now during the holiday season, we will host community meals for Thanksgiving and Christmas for anyone who needs a warm place to sit.

As our nation begins to move again and these resources flow back into our city, I’m asking a difficult and nuanced question: Did Springfield respond to this crisis in the right way?

What kind of compassion are we investing in? Does our method of generosity actually help people escape poverty? Are we building a culture of need or a community of contributors? Are people getting tangled in our safety net of empathy?

Let me be clear, every single situation is individual. Poverty is a multifaceted, nuanced and complex issue. Trauma, physical health, disability, poor education and lack of healthy relationships are just a few of the innumerable factors at play. 

Poverty is not one story. It is a mix of pressures that shape each life differently. No two paths look the same. This is why blanket solutions fail. They skip the human story. They skip the relationship.

After nine years working in this ministry, one truth stands out: When there is no accountability, there is no dignity. Charity without expectation feels kind, but it signals that a person cannot rise. It turns a neighbor into a case, a project. That is not compassion. It limits people. No city grows when 20% of its people remain trapped in that pattern of povertyas in Springfield.

At Victory, we practice a different model. We meet immediate needs because food, shelter and clothing are essential. Then we move into deeper work that restores individual agency. We walk with people through finding employment, financial coaching and family restoration. We offer licensed counseling free of charge. We ask real questions that require real commitment.

We take men and women broken by addiction, abuse, poverty and prison and empower them to become contributing members in Springfield. One man graduated, became a chef and started his own catering business. Two women have graduated and begun careers at local banks. They get out of debt. They build credit. They save for retirement.

These aren’t just success stories. They are real people who moved from needing help to helping others. From recipients to contributors. From taking to giving. 

Relief is only half of the equation. The other half is restoration, and the latter matters much more for the long-term health of our city. People rise when expectations rise. They gain dignity when they contribute. They move from survival to purpose when someone looks them in the eye and asks more of them than the system ever has. We must love people enough to show them how to be free.

We rush to relief because it feels good; it’s instant. But it does not lift anyone higher. Removing expectations from capable people is not a form of mercy. It is neglect. Expectations say, “You can stand. I believe in you. You can give back. You are capable of more than you believe.”

Maybe the aftermath of this shutdown can allow us to step back, pause, and evaluate. I’m not saying we have all the answers. I humbly reserve the right to be wrong. But this conversation matters. These are questions our city needs to ask. The shutdown reveals something about how we respond to crisis, exposing our mental model of poverty. It displays the depth of dependency in Springfield and the speed at which we default to emergency handouts and freebies.

I am not saying that’s the wrong answer, but I am asking: Is that the best we can do? Let’s talk about it. Springfield deserves that conversation.

Jason Hynson is the executive director of Victory Mission. He can be reached at jason@victorymission.com.