The Governor's Budget target the Most Vulnerable

Last week, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett unveiled a 2012-13 state budget that turns its back on the most needy.

Among the items on his chopping block is the General Assistance(GA) program, established in 1937, during the Great Depression. GA provides a maximum of $205 per month to more than 68,000 people in the state. Recipients of this program are disabled adults, domestic-violence survivors, people caring for a sick or disabled person, and those in drug and alcohol recovery program. More than 35,000 of those recipients live in Philadelphia.

The governor says he wants to "right-size" welfare, and he suggests that the system has been abused by people who should be steered from public coffers. But there is no evidence of the GA program's being misused. Even with most people out of work due to the economy, less than 0.5 percent Pennsylvanians receive General Assistance dollars. Eliminating the safety net will save an estimated $150 million annually. But the cuts will likely send the poor to already overwhelmed community agencies struggling to meet growing demands.

Eliminating this welfare program is morally and economically wrong.

The Very Poor In Need of Concern

Flush with victory after win in the Florida primary, Mitt Romney appeared on CNN Wednesday morning and said this: "I'm in the race because I care about Americans. I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there."

We here at St. Francis Inn Ministries are very concerned about the very poor. We experience them every day in our ministry. We walk with them and listen to their stories.

As has been widely reported, a full 15 percent of Americans live below the poverty line (which is $18,530 for a family of three) and 6.7 percent of Americans live in deep poverty (defined as half the poverty line.) Half of all Americans are either poor or low-income, living at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty line. Unlike middle-income Americans, low-income and poor Americans often do not have the resources to recover from any economic hurdles. Without any kind of savings or other assets, these hurdles can level low-income and poor households facing very difficult circumstances, even homelessness.

Earth Day and Good Friday!

It is significant that Earth Day coincides with Good Friday this year. Our faith call us to recognize the presence of God in each other, Earth and all creation. We must awaken ourselves to the deep realization of our interconnectedness with Earth, and challenge ourselves to live in mutually enhancing way that reconciles us with all creation.

Fasting and Prayer to Protect Vulnerable People

We don't have a budget crisis in Washington. We have a moral crisis. A large coalition of Christian, Muslim, Jewish and other advocacy organizations have announced a broad-based movement of fasting, prayer and advocacy called Hunger Fast. This action was provoked by budget cuts proposed by Congress that would disproportionately hurt those living in poverty.

Leaders of these and other organizations will be joining in fasting, prayer and other acts of personal sacrifice over the course of the next several weeks, and are challenging people of faith and conscience to form a "Circle of Protection" around programs benefiting poor and hungry people.

Go to www.hungerfast.org for more information and to sign-up for the fast.

From Ashes to the Font

The call to continuing conversion reflected in the readings for Ash Wednesday is also the message of the ashes. We move through Lent from ashes to the baptismal font. We dirty our faces on Ash Wednesday and are cleansed in the waters of the font. More profoundly, we embrace the need to die to sin and selfishness at the beginning of Lent so that we can come to fuller life in the Risen One at Easter.

When we receive ashes on our forehead, we remember who we are. We remember that we are creatures of the earth ("Remember that you are dust"). We remember that we are mortal beings ("and to dust you will return"). We remember that we are baptized. We remember we are people on a journey of conversion ("Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel"). We remember that we are members of the body of Christ.

Renewing our sense of who we really are before God is the core of the Lenten experience.

Budget-cuts and our Vulnerable Citizens

It's budget time in the halls of government, and everyone's talking about belt-tightening, severe cuts, and even the possibility of a government shut down.

The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed legislation that would slash about $65 billion in government spending between now and the end of September. Budget cuts in the middle of the government's fiscal year are a bit unusual. This proposal is being driven by the class of freshman tea-party Republicans who swept into office in November promising restraint on spending. The government does need to get deficits under control gradually. But the 100 billion target demanded by Republicans is an arbitrary rush job to fulfill a campaign pledge. Also, the proposed cuts are lopsided against programs that serve our most vulnerable citizens.

The House cuts would include the following:

• Head Start ($1 billion)
• Job training ($1.4 billion cut)
• Community Health Centers ($1 billion)
• Substance abuse treatment ($200 million)
• Community Block Grants ($341 million)
• Low Income Home Energy Assistance fund ($390 million)
• FEMA Food and Shelter ($100 million)
• Title 1 ($693 million)
• Community Supplemental Food Program ($26 million)
• Community Development Fund ($2.95 billion)
• Public Housing Capital Fund ($1.07 billion)
• Housing for the Elderly ($551 million)

In addition several programs would be terminated.

Action is needed to stop these extreme and damaging cuts. The Coalition on Human Needs offers ideas to influence the Senate and take action against these cuts.

http://www.chn.org/takeaction/index.html

Some Happenings In Our Ministry

During the month of January we have been busy with some events and changes taken place in our community.

Evette our new staff member at the Urban Center has been busy the last three weeks learning about our mission and adjusting to her new role and responsibilities. Also, the staff has been involved this month in welcoming a new family to St. Margaret House (permanent supporting housing for families). Recently Patricia and her two year old daughter, Georgia Anne, moved into their new apartment. Patricia who is 22 years old grew-up in a south philly neighborhood. In the near future we are going to be sharing more about the stories and progress of the families in our housing program.

On Saturday January 15, an event took place in the yard at St. Margaret's House to celebrate the mural and to commemorate the life of Charlene Nessler. The mural was done in the memory of Charlene. A group of about 30 friends and family members gathered on that very cold January day to admire the great visual masterpiece, and participate in a "Blessing of Peace Service." The friends of Charlene said: "they appreciate having the opportunity to participate in such a worthwhile, uplifting project and hope it brings joy to the families who reside in the house."