JUNE 2010
Interfaith Collaboration to End Homelessness: Next Steps for the Metro Boston Region
On June 24, the Metro Boston Faith-Based Advisory Council to End Homelessness convened a strategy meeting of faith communities, advocates and service providers at Christ Church Episcopal in Waltham to formulate next steps for interfaith efforts to end homelessness in the Metro Boston region. Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries, Social Action Ministries, the Waltham Ministerial Association and the Advocacy Network to End Family Homelessness sponsored the event. Attendees participated in brainstorming sessions about strategies for faith community engagement in ending homelessness, including advocacy and education, homelessness prevention, housing stabilization and support for affordable housing.
For information about how to become involved in the Metro Boston Faith-Based Advisory Council to End Homelessness or similar collaborations in your region of Massachusetts, please contact Caitlin Golden, 617-367-6447 ext. 28.
MARCH 2010
An Interfaith Call to Action: Community Forum on Housing and Homelessness
Faith communities, service providers and advocates from Waltham, the Metro Boston region and beyond gathered in March at Immanuel Methodist Church in Waltham for “An Interfaith Call to Action: Community Forum on Housing and Homelessness.” The forum was sponsored by Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries, Social Action Ministries, the Waltham Ministerial Association, the Advocacy Network to End Family Homelessness and many other organizations dedicated to encouraging faith community involvement in efforts to end homelessness. For a complete list of forum sponsors, see below.
After opening prayers from Catholic, Jewish, Muslim and Unitarian Universalist leaders, keynote speaker Representative Byron Rushing shared insights regarding the recent history of responses to homelessness in Massachusetts and the need for permanent housing to end homelessness.
After Representative Rushing’s engaging remarks, a panel including speakers from Social Action Ministries, One Family Inc., HomeStart, Inc., the Waltham Alliance to Create Housing (WATCH) and the Waltham Community Day Center spoke on efforts to end homelessness and ways faith communities can get involved. Mayor of Waltham Jeannette A. McCarthy and a legislative aide from the office of Representative Peter J. Koutoujian also shared remarks, and a closing prayer was offered from the Christian tradition.
For more information about ways to get involved in efforts to end homelessness in the Metro Boston region, contact Caitlin Golden of Social Action Ministries at cgolden@mhsa.net or Alex Kern of Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries at akern@coopmet.org.
Waltham Forum Sponsors: Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries, Waltham Ministerial Association, Metro Boston Faith-Based Advisory Council to End Homelessness, Social Action Ministries of the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance, Advocacy Network to End Family Homelessness, Metro Boston Network to End Homelessness, Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership Inc., Community Day Center of Waltham, Brandeis University Protestant Chaplaincy, Chaplains on the Way, Newton Clergy Association, First Parish of Needham, Wellesley Friends Meeting Social Concerns Committee, HomeStart, Inc., Unitarian Universalist MA Action Network, REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, Inc., and the Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association
DECEMBER 2009
People of Faith Statewide Successfully Advocate for Reversal of the 9C Cut to Line Item 7004-0102
People of Faith Statewide Successfully Advocate for Reversal of the 9C Cut to Line Item 7004-0102
Governor Deval Patrick reversed the 9C cut to the Homeless Individuals Assistance line item (7004- 0102). I would like to extend a sincere thank you to all of you across Massachusetts who demonstrated so clearly in the last few weeks your dedication to our homeless neighbors. In the face of the cut to the Homeless Individuals Assistance line item, you called others to action from your pulpits and through your volunteer programs, and you passed on that call to action to your state officials. Your advocacy made a difference, and your efforts remind us all of the changes that can come when we work together to speak out for those among us without homes.
We still face challenges ahead, and we need your continued support as we move into the new year. If you or your faith community are interested in becoming involved in advocacy in the coming months, please contact me at cgolden@mhsa.net or 617-367-6447 ext. 28. I am honored to work with you as we continue our efforts to end homelessness in Massachusetts.
Sincerely,
Caitlin Golden
Social Action Ministries Coordinator
MARCH 2009
Faith communities in Lowell kicked off the month of March with The Greater Lowell Interfaith Forum on Homelessness, hosted by Christ Church United of Lowell, The S.H.I.F.T. Coalition, Social Action Ministries, Eliot Presbyterian Church, New England Prison Ministries, One Family, Inc. and the Lowell Transitional Living Center.
Lt. Governor Timothy P. Murray and The Reverend Liz Walker gave the keynote addresses. Lt. Governor Murray spoke about his experience as a housing search worker and stressed the Patrick-Murray administration’s commitment to ending homelessness. Rev. Walker shared compelling stories about the relationship between her faith and her call to the ministry and social action, urging forum participants to view these times of economic hardship as an opportunity for social action.
The forum also included a panel discussion on specific opportunities for faith communities to get involved in ending homelessness. The panel was composed of Lowell City Manager Bernie Lynch, Rev. Debbie Little Wyman, founder of Ecclesia Ministries, Libby Hayes of Homes for Families, Brent Rourke of the SHIFT Coalition, Alan Burt from Cape Cod and Caitlin Golden of Social Action Ministries.
In the upcoming months, faith communities in Greater Lowell will move forward with plans for greater involvement in ending homelessness. The next meeting is on March 29, 2009, at 2:00 pm at Christ Church United in Lowell. All are welcome! For more information about how to get involved, contact Caitlin Golden at cgolden@mhsa.net or 617-367-6447 ext. 28.
FEBRUARY 2009
In late February, St. Joseph Parish in Kingston hosted a Social Action Ministries presentation for members of their community. MHSA Executive Director Joe Finn spoke about the faith-based roots of many homeless service providers in Massachusetts and explained the significance of the Commonwealth’s transition from a focus on emergency shelter to a focus on permanent housing. Members of the parish asked questions about a variety of issues, including ways for young people to get involved in ending homelessness.
JANUARY 2009
Statewide Faith Community Summit on Ending Homelessness
Diverse Audience Gathered at Forum to Learn about Regional Innovations
As Massachusetts moves toward a regional model for ending homelessness, it is crucial that faith communities from across the Commonwealth stay informed and engaged in regional efforts exploring innovative solutions to homelessness.
Social Action Ministries of the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance, in collaboration with Episcopal City Mission, One Family, Inc., and United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley held “A Faith Community Summit on Homelessness,” a dinner forum and discussion on the ways faith communities can be effective partners to end homelessness in Massachusetts. The dinner, catered by Forklift Catering, was held at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Framingham, on Thursday, January 22, 2009.
After an introduction by The Rev. Julie Carson of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, The Rt. Rev. Gayle Harris (pictured, right), Suffragan Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts kicked off the event by placing the mission of ending homelessness in the context of her own faith commitment.
Robert Pulster, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness (ICHH), introduced the ICHH’s regional approach to ending homelessness in Massachusetts and discussed the proposed move of homeless services from the Department of Transitional Assistance to the Department of Housing and Community Development.
In closing, Rev. Bob Bachelder, Co-Chair of The Interfaith Coalition to End Family Homelessness: Central Massachusetts, shared his experiences with the program Hope for Housing and encouraged faith communities to take action to prevent homelessness.
Participants also had the opportunity to connect with other faith leaders and homeless service providers and advocates from their area to brainstorm ways congregations and faith-based organizations can be effective regional partners in ending homelessness.
If you are interested in having a speaker talk with your faith community about ending homelessness, contact Caitlin Golden at cgolden@mhsa.net or (617) 367-6447 ext. 28.
“I feel like I’m patching my patients up just to send them back to such an unhealthy environment. Having a home to recuperate in, store medications and feel secure would make all the difference.”
Dr. Jessie Gaeta, MHSA Physician Advocate
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