Advocating for affordable housing
Residents in Queens, New York came together advocating for the development of 3,000 new affordable homes on the state-owned grounds of Creedmoor Psychiatric Center. The coalition of faith and nonprofit groups called Queens Power is leading the effort. This proposal aims to construct both income-restricted apartments and homes for purchase.
While Governor Kathy Hochul and Empire State Development have resisted the idea, they will hold public forums to gather input on the project.
Update on the migrant crisis
Last week we covered Mayor Adams’ new faith-based shelter program to house asylum seekers and migrants in houses of faith.
Here’s an update on the current situation.
New data released by City Hall revealed that nearly 34,000 migrants residing in city shelters are families with children. A group of asylum seekers from New York City will arrive in Western New York this week. 60 migrants will be housed in hotels in the area. Mayor Adams is also working to strike deals with hotels in the City, such as the Holiday Inn in Manhattan’s Financial District, to house migrants.
Find out if your house of faith is eligible to house migrants as a hospitality center or a shelter.
The U.S. Department of Labor plans to hold informational workshops to educate migrant workers on their employment rights after many recently found jobs in an unregulated labor system. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has previously held trainings and guidance for migrants’ work rights across the country.
NEW STUDY: Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations
This five-year research project explores the effect the pandemic has had on congregations and clergy. 15,000 congregations were surveyed pre-pandemic and 250 churches will be followed over the span of 5 years (2021-2025). This research is led by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, and funded by the Lilly Endowment. This research is still underway.
Key takeaways include:
Check out the study here.
Racial justice in houses of faith
As we approach Juneteenth, faith and human rights groups, including Presbyterian Church USA and Union for Reform Judaism, sent a letter to President Biden in May requesting an executive order on reparations for slavery. The National Council of Churches (NCC) is also organizing a six-week Bible study on reparative justice as a means to educate and galvanize public support.
This year marks the third year of Juneteenth being recognized as a federal holiday. On Juneteenth, the NCC will gather 400 faith leaders for a march in Washington, starting at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and marching to Lafayette Square across from the White House.
Three years after the death of George Floyd, faith groups are taking steps to address racial divisions within their communities and society at large The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and other denominations are organizing events to promote racial reconciliation and combat racism (in a separate move, Southern baptists vote to keep out churches with female pastors). The SBC's Unify Project, founded by former SBC president Fred Luter and Ed Litton, plans to bring pastors and churches together for dialogue and community service.
In March, the Episcopal Diocese of New York issued an apology, acknowledging the history of slavery in the Diocese. They are setting aside $1.1 million from the diocesan endowment for reparations, with a 501(c)(3) overseeing the use of the money.
