Overcoming Road Blocks To Home
At every level of government, we find frustrating roadblocks to home. These detours obstruct our ability to create and sustain homes for people with the lowest incomes. As people of faith, we cannot stand for it!
Most of these detours, these obstacles, are the result of systemic racism. They’re obstacles that invariably disproportionately harm Black, Indigenous and People of Color. The good news is that systems designed by people can be changed by people. But only when we show up and act together.
Too much of the status quo funnels money away from the people who through no fault of their own need community re-investment the most. Our faiths implore us to ensure no one gets left out in the cold.
Right now, Beacon is leading the charge to change multiple detrimental systems at once.
At the Met Council, we’re calling for a fix to the way rental vouchers for low-income people are awarded so projects like Prairie Pointe in Shakopee can remain viable.
In Hennepin County, we’re insisting that budget decisions consistently align with stated values by prioritizing deeply affordable homes like Vista 44 in Hopkins and Emerson Village in Minneapolis.
We’re challenging cities like Minneapolis, who invest valuable resources in housing, to make a smoother path for deeply affordable developments like Emerson Village that serve households most at risk of homelessness.
With the state, we’re championing comprehensive solutions like the Bring It Home, MN rent subsidy and bonds for housing that make the safety, comfort, and stability of home the reality hundreds of thousands of us can only dream of tonight.
Each of these systems, these levels, these detours are tied together. Movement on one contributes to movement on all – movement that we cannot wait for any longer. Your action today will make a difference for families tomorrow. So, whether you’re able to join our efforts on one or all of these important initiatives, we are calling on you to show up and make your voice heard as we push hard this year!
To find out how you can take meaningful action, visit www.beaconinterfaith.org/get-involved/take-action/ or contact your congregational organizer.
