For such a time as this
Written by Rev. Nancy Nord Bence, Public Policy Manager
Mordecai told Esther that the events of her life had prepared her, “for such a time as this.”
Proverbs advises us to, “make hay while the sun shines.”
In Isaiah, the Lord says, “See, I am doing a new thing now! Do you not perceive it?”
The Apostle Paul writes, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people.”
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., had a dream about the “fierce urgency of now.”
Our prophets urge us to seize opportunities to do God’s will when they arise. The 2023 legislative session presents one of the greatest opportunities in our lifetimes to change the landscape of home.
The voters have placed leaders who are committed to housing justice in control of the Minnesota Senate, House of Representatives, and Governor’s office. That is a rarity for Minnesota — and it’s never happened when the state had a $9.3 billion budget surplus. The seeds have been planted for a bumper crop of transformative action at the Capitol. God is doing a new thing now.
Beacon has an ambitious legislative agenda that’s perfect for such a time as this. First and foremost, we have a real chance to push through Bring it Home, Minnesota and make rental assistance available to every Minnesota household that qualifies for federal assistance but doesn’t receive it. There’s a big price tag attached to this legislation. We can’t pretend it will be easy, even with a unified legislature. But Bring it Home, Minnesota is a vision big and bold enough for the “fierce urgency of now.”
Beacon will also introduce new legislation in 2023, the Homeless Families with Children Act (HFCA). This initiative will provide a new source of flexible statewide funding for prevention, shelter, and supportive services for families with children who are at risk of or have experienced homelessness. Although everyone agrees that new funding for quality homeless family services is necessary, it will be a challenge to be heard above din of the many new funding bills that will be put forward. We will have to be loud and proud in our advocacy for HFCA.
Finally, in 2023 we will again champion Housing Infrastructure Bonds (HIBs), which provide vital capital funds for the development of new deeply affordable housing. To help make up for the lack of HIBs last session, we’re setting our sights on a much larger authorization, in the range of $500 million to $1 billion. As with all our policy goals, passing a housing bond bill that ambitious will take hard work and perseverance. The hay doesn’t cut, stack, and bale itself.
So, what are we asking of you? To show up. In a big way.
Our first event at the Capitol in 2023 will be a Rally for Housing at 1:30 p.m. in the Rotunda on Wednesday, January 11. Our goal will be to show the breadth of support for housing equity by having 100 or more congregations and housing organizations participate. Please get it on your congregation’s calendar now and start recruiting members to attend. You’ll hear more about this event at Beacon’s Convening on December 1st. I hope to see you there.
Beacon’s Week of Action at the Capitol will begin on Monday, March 20, with meetings with legislators in the morning and a huge rally in the Rotunda in the afternoon. We’re serious about huge; we want 1,000 people there making a lot of noise in support of our housing policies. It’s not too soon to be talking to your Beacon Leadership Team about organizing for that.
In his “I have a dream” speech, when he talked about the “fierce urgency of now,” Rev. Dr. King went on to say “This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.” Vigorous and positive action is what Beacon members are experts at. We have decades of successful experience organizing and advocating for deeply affordable housing at the local, regional and state levels. We have hundreds of trained volunteer leaders, clergy and lay, who understand the intricacies of the housing crisis and know how to speak effectively about housing policy. We have a broad but nimble base that can be mobilized quickly; a whole infrastructure in place and ready. “For such a time as this.”
Friends, the sun is shining. Let’s make hay.
With excitement,
Rev. Nancy Nord Bence
Public Policy Manager
