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Day on the Hill

More than 900 people from faith communities went to the capitol on March 13 for the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition (JRLC) Day on the Hill to lobby elected officials on affordable housing, ending poverty, healthcare for all and to preserve Minnesota's impartial judiciary. Pictured from left from Plymouth are Cole Williams, Teresa Voss, John Humphrey, Jane Riley Koll and Connie Marty. Not pictured: Doug Hoverson.

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[January 2008]

Begin the new year
by taking action

When the song of the angel is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost – To heal the broken
– To feed the hungry –
To release the prisoner –
To rebuild the nations –
To bring peace among brothers and sisters –
To make music in the heart.
                               –Howard Thurman

How will you begin the work of Christmas as you
cross the threshold into a new year?

Are you able to read – listen – ponder one of the pressing issues of our times, to educate yourself about the harsh realities of life for the homeless in our community?

Will you talk to your friends and acquaintances to share views on these issues?

Can you make a commitment to occasionally contact elected officials who have the power to alter structures and create policies that will increase affordable housing and allow more people to live in dignity and safety? By sharing your opinions and listening to their responses, you build relationships that are critical to bringing change.

Are you wondering if all this really makes any difference?

Last year, about 275 Plymouthites committed to our Heading Home Plymouth Campaign (which supports the larger Heading Home Hennepin initiative co-led by Jim Gertmenian). 2007 was one of the most successful legislative sessions for housing/homeless issues ever. Our letters, phone calls, visits with our legislators and letters to newspaper editors helped to create:

• Doubled funding for the Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program – resulting in Hennepin County receiving more than $2 million in new funding to support its effort to double the number of households served with homelessness prevention strategies.
• New funding for street outreach – money that’s now supporting an outreach team in Minneapolis.
• Increased Supportive Services Funding – helping to house people experiencing an average of seven years of homelessness.
• New funding for youth homeless programs – most of which has helped youth outreach efforts in Ramsey and Hennepin Counties.

This year the other downtown congregations plan to create their own similar groups of advocates to join in this important work. We urge you to join in. Simply call or e-mail Outreach Volunteer Coordinator Connie Marty (conniem@plymouth.org) and she’ll add your name to our list of advocates.

Begin the new year by taking action!

– Karen Canon, Barbara Crosby, Tom Haigh,
Gretchen Kreuter, Mike Manhard and
Judy Takkunen for Heading Home Plymouth

 

Heading Home Plymouth Pledge of Time & Resources [PDF] Send us your story on what you did and how it went for contacting your elected official. Whether it was a phone call, response to your letter or a face-to-face visit, we want to hear how it went and what your elected official said they're committed to. Or use this evaluation form (MS Word). Thank you! Action Alerts (PDFs) April 27, 2008   April 13, 2008     Attachment (Conference Committee) April 2, 2008 March 12, 2008 March 1, 2008 February 2008 If you want to receive e-mail Action Alerts for Heading Home Plymouth, contact Connie Marty, conniem@plymouth.org Background Information (PDFs) Supportive Services Predatory Lending   Websites to educate yourself on the issue • Housing Solutions Act information, including supporters, talking points, bill texts and updates: www.housingsolutionsalliance.org • For “Ten Tips for Calling Your Legislator”: www.mnhomelesscoalition.org/resources/ toolkits/advocacy/calling/ • City and County level: Ending Homelessness in Minneapolis and Hennepin County, Heading Home Hennepin Ten Year Plan, Project Homeless Connect: www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/homelessness/ • State level: To find your senators and representatives: geo.commissions.leg.state.mn.us/districts/start.html • Federal level: The National Alliance to End Homelessness, www.endhomelessness.org/, and the National Low Income Housing Coalition, www.nlihc.org, that provide information on several bills and contact information for Congress people.