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Plymouth Outreach
Opportunities & Education

Third Sunday Meal needs volunteers for July 19, 4:30-6:30 p.m. Join 30 volunteers to serve a hot meal to our neighbors in Lenmark Dining Room. Sign up through Connie Marty, conniem@plymouth.org

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Called to be a faithful Minnesotan

Minnesota people of faith are gathering for a witness of lament on Tuesday, June 30 at 10:45 a.m. at the state capitol to urge Gov. Tim Pawlenty not to abandon the health of Minnesota’s citizens, especially those most in need.

Come and join this event in a spirit of lament: wear black, bring flowers and notes for the governor. Bring your congregational banners as well.

The legislature has adjourned and the governor has vetoed the revenue bill which was approved by both houses, so now the governor alone has the power to make changes to the budget to reduce it through a method called unallotment. The governor has already vetoed a bill which would have saved health insurance for 30,000 extremely vulnerable Minnesotans. There is indication he will continue down this road. Unallotments may begin the next day, July 1.

These measures may mean that some people will literally lose their lives in order to balance our state budget.

As people of faith we want to send the message that this is not the Minnesota we are called to be.  Abandoning the poor is against the teachings of all our religious traditions.  Minnesota has historically been a state that cared for all its citizens.  These actions move us away from those religious and civic traditions. We want to remind Gov. Tim Pawlenty that he is governor of all the people and plead for his care for all.

Continue to check the Minnesota Council of Churches website for details about the gathering at www.mnchurches.org.

Sponsored by: the Minnesota Council of Churches, the St. Paul Area Council of Churches, JRLC and numerous congregations of many faiths.

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Downtown Congregations to End Homelessness (DCEH) mission is to work together to end homelessness by using our civic voice to educate and push the community from managing homelessness to ending homelessness and poverty through our support of Heading Home Hennepin and multiple relationships with the homeless and near homeless, congregations, volunteers and community organizations.  Plymouth is represented on the Interfaith team and the Steering Committee of DCEH.  Contact Connie Marty to get involved.

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Connecting Beyond
the Walls of Plymouth

Update on the Governor's unallotments
(from Affimative Options Coalition, posted 6/16)

Governor Pawlenty announced his intended budget cuts on Tuesday afternoon:  in addition to cuts to higher education, to cities and counties, the Governor announced another $236 million in cuts to human services.  In addition to the almost $500 million in cuts made by the legislature and the $380 million the governor eliminated for health care for the poorest adults, the cuts to Health and Human Services will now total more than $1 billion.

As the numbers of uninsured grow, the Governor intends to pull health care coverage from the poorest adults even sooner than was already planned.  And in the midst of the worst housing crisis in generations, he is eliminating funds to help disabled and unemployable adults avoid homelessness – while also cutting funds that pay for homeless shelters and housing for the long-term homeless.  The Governor’s cuts target children in a number of ways:  less money to help collect child support for children in poor households; to serve children and teens who are abused or disabled, and specifically a cut to services for American Indian children who are abused or neglected.

In addition low income renters – 28% of whom are poor and disabled – will have their renters’ credit reduced.  The renters credit is a refund to almost 274,000 Minnesota renters whose property taxes makes up a large share of their income. There is more information about the renters credit at the Minnesota Budget Project website at http://www.mncn.org/bp/renterscredit.htm.

The cuts in Human Services include:

• Ending the General Assistance Medical Care program that the Governor eliminated by line item veto even earlier than his veto required – March 1, 2010 instead of mid-May;
• The elimination of two emergency assistance programs for poor disabled and unemployable adults without children (Emergency General Assistance and Emergency MSA);
• Cutting payments to homeless shelters, housing for the long-term homeless and board and lodging facilities that offer special services (through Group Residential Housing payments);
• Mental health and chemical dependency grants are cut.

There are no cuts proposed to the Minnesota Family Investment Program, Minnesota’s welfare to work program.  The complete list of the cuts Governor Pawlenty intends to make are at http://www.mmb.state.mn.us/doc/budget/
unallotment/unallotment_2009.pdf.

The Governor is making the cuts through a process called “unallotment.”  He had vowed to do so when he vetoed a bill the legislature sent him that would have balanced the state budget by raising revenue.  Before the unallotments are official, the Governor must consult with the Legislative Advisory Council.  The consultation is only advisory – the Governor need not heed their advice.  The council – whose members include the Speaker of the House, the Senate Majority Leader and the chairs of the two House and Senate finance committees – will meet at 3 p.m. on Thursday at the Capitol. 

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Heading Home Hennepin, a plan to end
homelessness in Hennepin County by 2016.

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The final report of the Legislative Commission to End Poverty in Minnesota by 2020 is now available. The Commission at its last meeting unanimously approved the report and released it for distribution. Bills are now being drafted to make the recommendations a reality. Stay tuned for updates on this legislation.

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Connie Marty, conniem@plymouth.org
Plymouth Congregational Church
Outreach Volunteer Coordinator
1900 Nicollet Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55403-3789
612/977-1284

 

 

Plymouth's Outreach Working Groups

 

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