HOMELESSNESS, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, AND FOOD INSECURITY ADVOCACY
JUSTICE, PEACE, AND INTEGRITY OF CREATION (JPIC
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Listed below are a selection of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Homelessness, Affordable Housing, and Food Insecurity advocacy initiatives. Additional opportunities can be found on our other JPIC webpages, including our Promoting Human Dignity main web page, Families Moving Forward, Saint Francis Builds (SFB),Community Garden and Assisi Preserve, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), Greener Lent, Migrant Worker Hygiene Kits, Furniture Project of Durham (FPOD), Meals for the Hungry and Urban Ministries of Durham (UMD), Bread for the World: Offering of Letters, and Durham CROP Hunger Walk.
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If you have any questions, please contact: Ken Chiha, Director of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) |
ANNUAL HOMELESS MEMORIAL VIGIL
Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) encourages our Immaculate Conception parishioners to join the Durham community again this year at the Annual Homeless Memorial Vigil at the Farmers Market Pavilion at Durham Central Park (501 Foster Street) in downtown Durham.
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All faith-communities and the public are invited to share in a time of spiritual song, prayer, eulogy, and reflection on the longest night of the year, the winter solstice, as we remember and honor, by name, our neighbors who have lived in homelessness and died this past year.
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MEDICAID EXPANSION IN NORTH CAROLINA
Our Catholic tradition affirms that health care is a fundamental right that flows from the sanctity and dignity of human life. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Catholic Health Association of the United States both support Medicaid expansion as an important and effective policy to ensure that all people have access to health care.
More than 1 million people lack health insurance in North Carolina. North Carolina is one of twelve states that have not expanded Medicaid since the passage of the Affordable Care Act. As a result, many people living in poverty cannot access affordable health insurance.
More than 1 million people lack health insurance in North Carolina. North Carolina is one of twelve states that have not expanded Medicaid since the passage of the Affordable Care Act. As a result, many people living in poverty cannot access affordable health insurance.
Medicaid expansion has bipartisan support in both the North Carolina Senate and the North Carolina House of Representatives. The Senate passed a bill approving the immediate expansion of Medicaid, but the House has not approved it, instead recommending further study of the issue. Legislators are actively negotiating this issue this week. Contact your state representative to ask them to support Medicaid expansion in North Carolina, which would allow more than 500,000 low-income North Carolinians to gain access to health care coverage.
2023 DURHAM POINT-IN-TIME HOMELESSNESS COUNT
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Members of our JPIC “Promoting Human Dignity” (PHD) team, along with other Immaculate Conception parishioners, took part in Durham’s annual “Point in Time” count of the unhoused.
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Once per year, Durham County seeks to capture the number of individuals experiencing homelessness in the area, along with conducting interviews with the unsheltered people met. This year, “Housing for New Hope” was named the lead agency for this effort. This data is critical for us to assess our program reach for the year and communicate Durham’s need to grant organizations. The JPIC is very grateful to all those who participated in the necessary training sessions and the event itself. We specifically would like to thank Theresa Hoke for promoting and helping to organize this effort.
If you would like to get involved to help address the issue of homelessness, food insecurity, or any related issues, there are a number of JPIC ministries that work to address these issues as matters of justice and charity. Please contact Ken Chiha, Director of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC), for further information.
If you would like to get involved to help address the issue of homelessness, food insecurity, or any related issues, there are a number of JPIC ministries that work to address these issues as matters of justice and charity. Please contact Ken Chiha, Director of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC), for further information.
IC WORKING TO PRESERVE AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN DURHAM
A small group of parishioners at Immaculate Conception, who were not financially impacted by COVID, donated some or all of their stimulus checks to a cause supporting Affordable Housing in Durham through a partnership with Durham Community Land Trustees (DCLT).
DCLT, located just down the street from Immaculate Conception, was founded in 1987 by neighbors in Durham's West End. Today, DCLT develops, manages, and advocates for permanently affordable housing for Durham residents with low and moderate-income through ownership and leasing models.
DCLT, located just down the street from Immaculate Conception, was founded in 1987 by neighbors in Durham's West End. Today, DCLT develops, manages, and advocates for permanently affordable housing for Durham residents with low and moderate-income through ownership and leasing models.
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One of the needs they did not have covered in their scope was upgrading homes in our neighborhood that were purchased in the 80’s and 90’s through their lease to purchase option. Some of these homes had no significant maintenance done on them since they were purchased, due to the low income of the homeowners. It is a high priority for our community to keep our low-income homeowners in their homes.
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Durham Community Land Trustees (DCLT)
Revitalizing Homes for Generations to Come |
These IC parishioners created an Affordable Housing Project fund to help a few of our neighbors make major repairs to their homes (e.g., new roof or new HVAC system). The funds were managed by DCLT. Our IC parishioners raised approximately $20,000 to make these upgrades and also provided “hands on” service to these neighbors through painting, gardening, and basic repairs. We are so grateful for all our volunteers and those who have financially supported this project.
This project emerged from a panel discussion at our church on "Faith and Racial Equity." We believe IC should be very intentional about getting to know our neighbors and neighborhood. Building a partnership with DCLT is another way for us to continue to “walk with” our neighbors in our community, particularly as we help our low-income neighbors in our West End neighborhood stay in their homes.
This project was transformative for our parish. As a tangible affordable housing project, it brought us together and provided an opportunity for parishioners in both our English and Spanish speaking communities to get to know one another better as we lived out our faith. It gave our parishioners an opportunity to get to know our neighbors who live close to IC. Ms. Emma was one of our neighbors/homeowners they helped make needed repairs. We hope this is the beginning of a long-term relationship with Ms. Emma and other IC neighbors.
As a Franciscan parish, this was a great opportunity for us to respond to Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si' in which he writes that addressing the issue of housing is a major issue for human ecology: "[...] Creativity should be shown in integrating rundown neighborhoods into a welcoming city: 'How beautiful those cities which overcome paralyzing mistrust, integrate those who are different and make this very integration a new factor of development!'" ~Laudato Si' #152
This project emerged from a panel discussion at our church on "Faith and Racial Equity." We believe IC should be very intentional about getting to know our neighbors and neighborhood. Building a partnership with DCLT is another way for us to continue to “walk with” our neighbors in our community, particularly as we help our low-income neighbors in our West End neighborhood stay in their homes.
This project was transformative for our parish. As a tangible affordable housing project, it brought us together and provided an opportunity for parishioners in both our English and Spanish speaking communities to get to know one another better as we lived out our faith. It gave our parishioners an opportunity to get to know our neighbors who live close to IC. Ms. Emma was one of our neighbors/homeowners they helped make needed repairs. We hope this is the beginning of a long-term relationship with Ms. Emma and other IC neighbors.
As a Franciscan parish, this was a great opportunity for us to respond to Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si' in which he writes that addressing the issue of housing is a major issue for human ecology: "[...] Creativity should be shown in integrating rundown neighborhoods into a welcoming city: 'How beautiful those cities which overcome paralyzing mistrust, integrate those who are different and make this very integration a new factor of development!'" ~Laudato Si' #152
© All rights reserved.
If you have questions regarding our various JPIC ministries, please contact me directly.
Kennith M. Chiha, Director of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC)
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church - 901-A West Chapel Hill Street, Durham, NC 27701
(919) 682-3449 Ext. 293 - [email protected]
If you have questions regarding our various JPIC ministries, please contact me directly.
Kennith M. Chiha, Director of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC)
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church - 901-A West Chapel Hill Street, Durham, NC 27701
(919) 682-3449 Ext. 293 - [email protected]