The Mackinac Center is known throughout Michigan for its work to help people live fuller lives by challenging the ways big government gets in their way. Other organizations, such as Grace Centers of Hope, get more directly involved in the lives of the people they serve by offering a homeless shelter and educational programs.

The organization offers housing to more than 100 people in its Pontiac, Michigan, facility. Its one-year program equips residents with the skills, tools, and practices to interview for a job, break bad habits and balance a budget. All this happens in a supervised environment, free of charge to the resident.

Pastor Kent Clark has been with Grace Centers of Hope for almost 40 years, working in a variety of roles. His primary role, though, is as the center’s spiritual guide. One thing he loves about the shelter house is its refusal to depend on or even accept government assistance.

“We were not political in the sense of receiving any government funding here,” Clark says. “We have a multimillion-dollar budget that all comes from the private sector.”

Private sector donations have allowed Grace Centers of Hope to open a program it calls “homelessness to homeowner.” Grace has bought nearly 60 houses in the Pontiac area, almost all needing restoration and repairs. Residents of the Grace shelter work on the homes, turning them into beautiful living spaces. In the process they learn valuable construction and manual labor skills. The organization has sold 25 homes to former residents, who move from homelessness and addiction to stability and responsible homeownership.

Clark credits “people who just want to help people” for the organization’s longevity. Grace Centers of Hope plans to continue expanding its homeownership program. It also anticipates building on its wellness services that equip residents to live freer and more fulfilling lives.

The shelter’s residents face many obstacles, including some created by government. Occupational licensing laws can make it impossible for some people to get hired due to decades-old criminal convictions that had nothing to do with the jobs they’re applying for. The Mackinac Center is a strong champion of updating or repealing those laws.

“I believe in a big God,” says Clark, “So when I say I believe in the big G, that stands for God, not the government.”