Resolution
to End Homelessness in Massachusetts
Approved
at the 203rd Annual Meeting, June 7-8, 2002
The
Bible is filled with invitations, calls and commands "to
do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with God".
(Micah
6:8) We are exhorted to "turn our swords into plowshares
and to provide each person with their own vine and fig
tree". (Micah
4:3-4) Jesus reminds us that God commands us "to love
our neighbors as ourselves" (Luke
10:27) and to create a just and loving society for
all of God's beloved.
WHEREAS The Annual Meeting of the Massachusetts
Conference of the United Church of Christ has recently passed
resolutions on the just Stewardship of Wealth (98-AM-13) and
on Welfare Reform (99-AM-7), and has demonstrated over its
202 year history a commitment to advocating for the poor and
oppressed; and
WHEREAS Homelessness is increasing in the Commonwealth with over
338 families living in motels often without access to food,
cooking facilities, public transportation, continuity for
their children's schooling and employment*;and
WHEREAS Over 65% of applicants were denied assistance by the Department
of Transitional Housing and continue to live on the streets,
in cars or unsafe living conditions*; and
WHEREAS The number of homeless individuals on the streets has increased
30% and shelters are operating at more than 120% of capacity
and much higher in the winter months; and
WHEREAS Many communities across the Commonwealth have few if any
units of affordable housing and generally do not welcome
low income or homeless residents; and
WHEREAS the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, Faith In Action
Together, and the Campaign to End Homelessness can provide
individuals and churches with practical solutions to assist
those who are homeless through direct advocacy and to use
the political process to advocate with the state legislature
to end homelessness in the Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS Faith communities from many traditions have joined this coalition,
and working together have an unprecedented opportunity to
end all homelessness in the next five years; and
WHEREAS numerous of our Massachusetts Conference churches house and
operate shelters in their buildings (Crombie Street United
church of Christ in Salem, First Congregational Church in
Cambridge and Pilgrim Dorchester) and many others support
services for homeless people in their communities.
BE
IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the 203rd Annual Meeting of the
Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ calls
upon local churches, associations, and the commissions of
the Conference to join together with faith based and other
coalitions across the Commonwealth to end family homelessness
by offering direct services to homeless people while simultaneously
participating in legislative advocacy to end homelessness.
We further call upon churches to work actively to advocate
for and support affordable housing options in their communities
and support use of state and church land for affordable housing.
*
Statistics from "The Road to Nowhere: Barriers Facing
Families in Search of Shelter", Massachusetts Coalition
for the Homeless, December 20, 2001
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