CCNV began in late 1970 as an expression of both faith and moral outrage.  A few concerned people faced a war and the question of what to do about it.  Questions of justice and human rights also faced us.

During the first months, our focus was on education and outreach.  Through speakers and workshops, we tried to bring people together in an atmosphere of seriousness and dialogue.  At the same time, we realized that words without action are like flesh without bones: they simply will not stand up.  So while we continued to talk of peace and oppose the war in Southeast Asia, we also began to make peace with our neighbors.  We opened a soup kitchen in 1972 and soon were feeding 200 to 300 homeless people a day, seven days a week.

Through the process of sharing our lives with the poor, we were able to discern and respond to more of their needs.  We realized that people who are in need of a bowl of soup may also lack basic shelter and adequate medical care and may need assistance with and protection from the bureaucracies and authorities confronting them.  Therefore, in addition to the soup kitchen, we soon opened two hospitality houses, as well as a medical clinic.  In retrospect, these efforts appear modest, but they were a reflection of our limited resources at the time and our best understanding of the needs of the homeless people.

Now, decades later, the needs of the poor and the concerns of CCNV have not changed.  But today, we are able to provide up to 2,500 poor and homeless people a day with food, shelter, clothing, medical care, case management, educational support, and art programs.  In December 1976, we began in earnest the task of securing adequate, accessible space, offered in an atmosphere of reasonable dignity, for every man, woman, and child in need of shelter.  In committing ourselves to that task, we have also committed ourselves to putting spiritual and physical resources into an unfolding struggle whose dimensions have grown dramatically.