Why The Federal Budget Matters For Those Who Are Homeless

Posted by Amy on Tuesday, 25 October 2011

Isaiah 58:7 NRSV: "Thus says the Lord: Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own.”

Throughout the bible, God’s central and thematic concern for people living in poverty and on the margins of society is clearly and frequently expressed. Yet, as the United States proclaims these religious beliefs, we have one of the highest homelessness rates in the industrialized world. Moreover, according to the Homelessness Research Institute at the National Alliance to End Homelessness, new evidence about increased poverty and future economic trends “estimates that in the next three years homelessness in the United States could increase by 5 percent or 74,000 people”. This increase would be in addition to a baseline of 1.6 million people found to be homeless from October 2009 to September 2010; as documented by The 2010 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress. Nearly 135,000 veterans are estimated to be among those homeless, including more than 10,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans according to a USA Today article from July 2011.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is doing its part to address homelessness. Earlier this year, a 2-year-old ELCA ministry that serves people living with homelessness in downtown Philadelphia, held a Welcome Church service in the city’s Logan Circle including communion and a foot washing. The Welcome Church is led by the Rev. Violet C. Little, an ELCA pastor, psychotherapist, community organizer and writer. The church ministry partners with Episcopal, United Methodist and Presbyterian clergy colleagues plus volunteers who serve the ministry. It has evolved into a multi-site ecumenical ministry, serving people throughout Philadelphia.

The Welcome Church grew out of The Welcome Center, opened in 2007 in the Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion in Philadelphia. Rev. Little, who has been serving as a pastor in urban Philadelphia for 14 years, helped establish the center. She noted that she wanted to provide a hospitable place for people living on the streets to rest, have some refreshments and engage in conversation.

Also taking part in the worship service and foot washing was the Rev. Claire S. Burkat, Bishop of the ELCA Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, Philadelphia. Rev. Burkat said The Welcome Church is a "powerful and courageous ministry"… It's an example to the whole church to be alert for opportunities to do God's work through our hands.” There are ELCA ministry stories like this across the country.

Despite this great commitment and effective ministry, the needs are far greater than our individual efforts and therefore there should be strong public partnerships in place in our society working to decrease homelessness and move people onto a pathway of self-sufficiency, sustainability and successful lives.

Yet, as debate rages on in Congress around the need for increasingly austere cuts to spending programs, initiatives that under gird housing and homelessness efforts such as the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act of 2009 (HEARTH Act), Homeless Assistance Grants, Project Based Rental Assistance (PBRA), Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA), and the Public Housing Capital Fund are being eviscerated through a series of flat funding or deep cuts.

Specifically, as a part of the Continuing Resolution (CR) recently passed by Congress to keep the government running through November 18, 2011, the Housing Assistance Council notes that a 1.5% across the board cut kept USDA and HUD housing programs at already low FY11 levels. Additionally, based upon a memo released in September 2011 by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) on Senate T-HUD Funding Cuts, current FY12 markups included in the Senate’s Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (T-HUD) bill would result in an overall cut in funding of 10% below the FY’11 levels.

Looking forward, action or inaction by Congress to adequately fund these programs will only be exacerbated by declining wages caused by the weakened economy, which has put housing out of reach for millions of workers living on minimum wage. "According to a 2008 survey by the U.S. Conference of Mayors of 24 U.S. cities, 25 percent of the urban homeless populations were employed... When asked to identify the three main causes of hunger in their city, 83 percent of cities cited poverty, 74 percent cited unemployment and 57 percent cited the high cost of housing." (U.S. Conference of Mayors 2008).

We will look for strategic moments to tell your Members of Congress about what ELCA ministries do to help homeless people and families and why we know public services for the homeless are important. Please stay tuned for upcoming ELCA alerts to engage your Representative and Senator on housing and hunger issues as Congress and the Super-Committee finalize their work on budget measures to address these and other critical issues facing our country.

1 John 3:17-18: "How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action."