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Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing
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The Cornerstone:
The Newsletter of Interfaith Assembly
April 23, 2010
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Dear Friends,
During these times of great challenges, there are also great opportunities to make a difference in the collective life of our city and the individual lives of those in our city who are or have been homeless and those in need of affordable housing. The Interfaith Assembly works to address the issue of homelessness and the affordable housing shortage in two ways: 1) Through our life-skills empowerment programs that help those who have been homeless to recover from the trauma associated with their homelessness and get back on their feet, and 2) by encouraging the support of public policies that will "Build the Blessed City Together"- i.e.: produce affordable housing, prevent homelessness, provide needed services, and promote income for those in need.
Thank you for your attention to these very important issues. Please feel free to contact us at info@iahh.org or by phone at 212-316-3171 with any questions about the issues covered in this newsletter.
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Stop the Loss of Affordable Housing:
Repeal Vacancy Decontrol | Join the effort to Repeal Vacancy Decontrol.This coming Tuesday, April 27, the Interfaith Assembly and our allies with the Real Rent Reform Campaign, joined by Public Advocate Bill DeBlasio will be going to Albany to call on State Senators to repeal Vacancy decontrol - an aspect of New York State law that has been responsible for the loss, over the past decade, of over 200,000 affordable rent regulated apartments in the New York City region.
Also, we invite you to join us for the NYC kick-off of the 2010 Campaign with a rally on the steps of City Hall on Monday, May 3 at noon. For more information about this effort please visit our website.
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Stop NYC's Plan to Charge Rent to Shelter Residents
| As a result of the Bloomberg administration's decision to implement a Pataki era regulation, New York City intends to charge rent to residents of New York City shelters. New York State Legislators, led by Assemblyman Keith Wright and Senator Daniel Squadron, are advancing legislation to prohibit the City from charging this "rent" for emergency shelter. This past Friday, Assemblyman Wright sent out the following message:
"It should be obvious: a homeless shelter is where you go when you can't pay rent."
Help stop New York City from charging rent for emergency shelter. Join thousands of other New Yorkers by signing the Working Families petition -- then forward this to everyone you know. Albany has the power to stop this plan dead in its tracks. But we don't have much time. Please sign the petition, and forward this to other New Yorkers. Thanks to our friends at the Coalition for the Homeless for their strong leadership on this crucial effort.
For more on this issue visit our website.
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Help Fund a National Housing Trust Fund
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In 2009, Congress established a National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF) - a crucial step in beginning to address the affordable housing shortage on a national level. However, now that the Fund has been established, funding needs to be authorized so that it can begin to have an impact.The National Low Income Housing Coalition has been working for months to urge congress to designate a billion dollars in funding and now your help is needed to make this effort successful. The goal is to get as many signatories as possible, including organizations from all 435 Congressional Districts, in order to urge every Member of Congress to support funding for the National Housing Trust Fund.
Let your Members of Congress know that your organization supports the NHTF and that their support of the NHTF will help your state build and preserve housing for people with the lowest incomes, and create needed jobs. Sign this letter in support.
For more information on this visit our website at Iahh.org
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The Assembly's Life-Skills Empowerment Programs Continue to Grow
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Since 1990 when The Interfaith Assembly and New York Catholic Charities first established the Education-Outreach Program ("EOP") for women and men who have experienced homelessness, over 1,000 people have been assisted in the journey of rebuilding their lives. In the past few years, thanks to a generous contribution in memory of Andrew Stallman, the Assembly has been assisting our community partners to establish additional programs based on the EOP model. These include: "Panim El Panim" ("Face to Face") - sponsored by Congregation Ansche Chesed and All Angels Episcopal Church, and "Coming Home" - a program for men who have also been recently released from prison, sponsored by the Reformed Church of Bronxville.
The Assembly is currently in the planning stages for three additional Life-skills Empowerment Programs: A program in partnership with Jan Hus Presbyterian Church and other houses of worship on Manhattan's upper east side; a program for women who have become homeless as a result of domestic violence; and a program for homeless veterans. We are hoping to have each of these programs established by the fall of 2009 or the spring of 2010 and we would welcome congregations interested in serving as co-sponsors of these very rich and fulfilling opportunities to help our sisters and brothers in need to rebuild their lives and become contributing members of our communities again.
For more information on our life-skills empowerment programs, or any of our other activities, please visit our website.
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Inspired, strengthened and sustained by faith, the Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing is committed to confronting the unconscionable and unacceptable reality of homelessness in New York City. Recognizing society's shared responsibility and working as partners with those who have experienced homelessness, the Assembly will mobilize communities of faith to empower all people, to advocate public policies to eliminate homelessness, and strive for the transformation of society.
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