July 2010 – Homelessness/Affordable Housing Update

Monmouth Presbytery E-newsletter

Homelessness/Affordable Housing Update
July 2010

In this issue

NEXT Sunday August 8 is Homelessness/Affordable Housing Sunday

Monmouth Presbytery and Kiwanis Club to host forum on the homeless September 15

Mid-summer greetings!

At our June 2010 meeting, Monmouth Presbytery approved the document, “Declaration of Unity,” as amended, addressing the church’s response to homelessness within the area of the Presbytery. (We’ve posted this document, extracted from the draft minutes, for your reference.) In the resolution, the Presbytery of Monmouth called on its congregations and interfaith partners to pursue comprehensive responses to the crisis of homelessness and affordable housing.

You will be hearing more from the Hunger Action and Advocacy Working Group in the months ahead, but we’d like to call your attention to two important dates:

Homeless/Affordable Housing Sunday – NEXT Sunday – August 8, 2010

A forum about Ocean County’s homelessness issues – Wednesday, September 15 at 7 p.m.

NEXT Sunday August 8 is Homelessness/Affordable Housing Sunday

Over the course of a year, between 2.5 and 3.5 million people will live either on the streets or in an emergency shelter. National Alliance to End Homelessness

Families with young children now account for 40% of the nation’s homeless population and in the course of a year, more than 1.3 million children are homeless. National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty

A renter earning the federal minimum wage must work 109 hours to afford a two-bedroom rental unit at the Fair Market Rent. National Low Income Housing Coalition

The PC(USA) encourages all congregations to take the opportunity to discuss and to address the issues related to homelessness and affordable housing. Our nation is experiencing a major housing crisis as more persons and families are becoming homeless or unable to access safe and affordable housing. It is essential that our congregations and the presbytery speak up and respond to the suffering of our brothers and sisters, locally and nationally.

Homelessness and Affordable Housing Sunday resources for 2008 and 2009 are posted for your use. They include liturgies, prayers, hymn suggestions, sermon ideas, ideas for what a church can do, stories of hope, and links to more information.

If your church has produced worship and other materials related to homelessness and affordable housing, we would welcome hearing from you!

Monmouth Presbytery and Kiwanis Club to host forum on the homeless September 15

The Kiwanis Club of Jackson and the Presbytery of Monmouth will host a forum about Ocean County’s homeless on Wednesday, September 15 at 7 p.m. The location is still to be confirmed.

The forum will address the problem of the county’s homeless, discuss solutions, offer action plans and establish a network for future discussion and action. The 90 minute forum will present local experts who have worked with the homeless population in Ocean County as well as people who have recently been homeless. It will examine strategies that have been implemented in other areas across the country and will be followed up by a discussion of their merits and shortcomings.

The forum will conclude with a presentation of action plans and the formation of a network of supporting organizations and individuals to support actions that alleviate the needs of the homeless. That network will include other community service organizations, churches, non-profit groups, local legislators, student groups, and business leaders.

This will be a great opportunity to witness to our faith and to find ways to work in partnership with other community groups!