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."

Mayors Report on Hunger and Homelessness

On December 21, 2010 the U.S. Conference of Mayors released their annual report, the 2010 "Hunger and Homelessness Survey." For more than a quarter century, The Conference of Mayors has documented the magnitude of the issues of hunger and homelessness in our cities, as well as efforts cities are making to address these challenges. The report presents data collected on emergency food assistance and homelessness assistance services provided between September 1, 2009 and August 31, 2010.

Some Key findings:

• Every city surveyed reported that request for food assistance increased over the past year, and those requests increased by an average of 24 percent across the cities.
• Among those requesting food assistance, 56 percent were families.
• Unemployment led the list of causes of hunger cited by the survey, followed by high housing costs, low wages, poverty, and lack of access to SNAP/food stamps.
• Among households with children, unemployment led the list of causes for homelessness cited by city officials.
• Providing more mainstream assisted housing led the list of actions needed to reduce homelessness in the survey cities.
• Officials in 48 percent of the survey cities expect resources to provide emergency shelter to decrease over the next year.

New Staff

We are pleased to announce that we have hired Evette Pena for the staff position at the Urban Center. She is a local woman who is looking forward to sharing her experience and expertise in our ministry. She will be starting the week of January 10, 2011.

Kensington Neighborhood On Edge

Since November 3, three women have been murdered by strangulation and at least three others have been attacked. The police have a description of the man and this week they released surveillance video showing a man who allegedly assaulted a woman and may be responsible for the rape and strangulation of others. He has been dubbed by the media and on the street as the "Kensington Strangler."

Two events took place recently that has the community together. A couple of weeks ago a vigil was held at the intersection of Jasper and Cumberland Streets, where Nicole's body was found on November 13. With white candles in hand about 100 people huddled in the chill night in a vacant lot centered around a make-shift memorial to Nicole. The memorial had been set against a tree with her high school picture, candles, and a teddy bear. Follow the words of family members and community leaders, attendees solemnly marched down Jasper Street to Kensington Ave in a showing of neighborhood support.

Last Saturday a community meeting was held to give people a chance to express their concerns and feelings about the murders and violence in the neighborhood.

The incidences of violence that is connected to the Kensington Strangler has left a real void and a sense of fear in the neighborhood, especially as the perpetrator is still on the loose. While the strings of murders connected to the strangler have received a great deal of media attention, they are connected to deeper issues of drug abuse, prostitution and violence within our community that does not always receive adequate attention by the city, the media, and even the police.

"And it burns, burns, burns..."

The following is Fr. Michael Duffy's reflection on the excitement in our neighborhood this week...

10/25/10 Last night during Mass we heard fire engines, but that is not unusual. But they got louder and louder and there were more and more of them. After Mass we went outside and saw the end of Hagert St alive with fire engines, police cars, emergency vehicles and a huge orange glow with lots of smoke.... The former Cavco Co factory building, abandoned now, was ablaze, completely engulfed in flames and reaching 60 or 70 feet above the roof.

Soon the news helicopters arrived, hovering overhead.

All the houses were evacuated and all roads blocked off. The firemen told the people to evacuate but to leave their animals in their homes. "They'll be all right" they said. (I wonder what the SPCA would think of that?) I had to back three cars out of Hagert St so Katie Sullivan could get her car out which by now was surrounded by trucks and hoses. They hooked up to every hydrant within 3 blocks. All of Kensington was out watching the blaze. Huge billows of black smoke filled with glowing embers would shoot out from the building twisting like tornadoes at what seemed like a hundred miles an hour. Then all our houses and the Inn darkened as the power went out on all the streets. We stood watching for hours transfixed by the power and destructive force of such a huge inferno. Luckily the wind was blowing north. If it had shifter to the west, those embers would have fallen on the abandoned factory at the end our block next to Barbara and Karen's house. If that happened, our whole block would have gone up and we would have lost all our houses on the north side, including the Inn itself. It made us a little apprehensive.

Finally at about 10:30 we walked back to the house to find a channel 6 ABC reporter standing in front of our door. He shoved a mic in my face and asked questions. It was on the 11 o'clock news. But of course I didn't see it because we had no power. Today all our volunteers and many of our guests told me they saw it.

With no power, what do you do in the house at night? You can't read, you can't clean your room. You can't do your laundry. It was odd. I spent an hour with a flashlight crooked between my neck and shoulder and did desk work. Then I decided to take advantage of the situation and I went to bed at 11:30. Very early for me. I had to set my battery powered travel alarm to make sure I got up.

We prepared breakfast at the Inn in the dark with candles all over. Once the sun rose it was easier. But how to prepare the dinner with no electricity? What of all the food in the freezer? We opened no refrigerator door nor did we enter the freezer lest we hasten the spoilage. We planned on giving all the meat away to the guests during the evening meal. Then at about noon the lights came on, power was restored, and so was our sanity.

But all day long the streets were hazy with smoke and the smell of the still burning building. Sometimes it would blow in a different direction and sometimes right up the street at us and into the Inn giving us curls of smoke clouds wafting through the dining room and kitchen. It is now 10:30 the next evening and the fire is still burning. Everything is hazy and the air is heavy with the fire smell. As I look down the street, the firemen are busy with "surround and drown" the term they use for placing fire trucks on all sides of the smoldering building and soaking it with the streams of water with their hoses to prevent "rekindle."

As if Hagert St. isn't exciting enough, the fire added to mix. We are grateful that no one was injured and no homes were lost (even though this morning a insurance adjustor shoved his business card in my hand asking me if I had any smoke damage!). Please be careful with fire. Change the batteries in your detectors and be safe!

As an addendum to this, it has now been a full 60 hours since the inferno first began and the streets are still closed down, fire trucks are still a constant presence, and smoke is still wafting out of the charred building. Demolition is supposedly set to start today.

Job Opening!

Your (somewhat) faithful, beloved blogger is moving on to warmer climates in a few weeks. The blog will remain, but with my leaving, there will be a vacancy that we are seeking to fill. In addition to putting oh-so-much time, effort and personality into this weekly blog, the main thrust of my work was in managing a supportive housing program for single mothers and their children. If you or someone you know are interested in this position, please view this link and follow the directions posted there. I'll be singing my swan song soon so keep an ear out!

The Feast of St. Francis!

Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Francis! We can be grateful for the continued celebration of his life 800 years later and are truly humbled by those examples of humility, grace, and love of creation in our lives today.

Canticle of Creation:

O Most High, all-powerful, good Lord God,

to you belong praise, glory,

honour and all blessing.

Be praised, my Lord, for all your creation

and especially for our Brother Sun,

who brings us the day and the light;

he is strong and shines magnificently.

O Lord, we think of you when we look at him.

Be praised, my Lord, for Sister Moon,

and for the stars

which you have set shining and lovely

in the heavens.

Be praised, my Lord,

for our Brothers Wind and Air

and every kind of weather

by which you, Lord,

uphold life in all your creatures.

Be praised, my Lord, for Sister Water,

who is very useful to us,

and humble and precious and pure.

Be praised, my Lord, for Brother Fire,

through whom you give us light in the darkness:

he is bright and lively and strong.

Be praised, my Lord,

for Sister Earth, our Mother,

who nourishes us and sustains us,

bringing forth fruits and vegetables of many kinds

and flowers of many colours.

Be praised, my Lord,

for those who forgive for love of you;

and for those

who bear sickness and weakness

in peace and patience

- you will grant them a crown.

Be praised, my Lord, for our Sister Death,

whom we must all face.

I praise and bless you, Lord,

and I give thanks to you,

and I will serve you in all humility.

Health Care Reform TODAY!

Today, September 23, marks the start of the implementation of the Affordable Health Care Act. Six months ago, history was made as President Obama signed into action a step towards affordable, universal health care in the United States. This is the first of many installments that will promote general health welfare across the United States, helping to insure more people, to give people the safety net they need, and the opportunity to be advocates for themselves.

The first installment of the Affordable Health Care Act, starting today, will allow young people to remain on their parents’ insurance until age 26. It also prohibits employer plans from withholding health care from children under 18 with pre-existing conditions. Further, insurance companies will no longer be allowed to drop people when they get sick. It delineates that there will no longer be lifetime limits on coverage (though doesn’t, at this time, prevent annual limits), and new plans must offer free preventive care. Lastly, patients with new plans starting after 9/23 will be able to appeal decisions made by the health plan to a third party, giving patients more of a voice for themselves and advocating for their own well-being.

The hope is that by expanding who will be covered and putting health care into the hands of those who need it, we will be moving towards a nation where everyone will be covered... eventually. It seems as if the full effects of the plan will not be realized until 2014, but the benefits to those who are currently uninsured and faced with mountains of bills are seeing glimmers of hope with the advent of this benchmark in Obama’s presidency.

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

Shakespeare's musings in Romeo and Juliet offer quite a point of interest for those choosing a name for a child, a car, a pet, or, say, a supportive housing program. While we fully recognize that simply a name for the house will alter the outcome of the mothers in the program, as everything else owned by St. Francis Inn Ministries is named, we felt compelled to follow suit. Most of our houses are named after people (Juniper House, Mary House, Clare House, Jean Donovan House, etc), but we wanted to name the house after someone or something that could be accessible to the mothers living in the house. And thus, we've settled on St. Margaret House, after St. Margaret of Cortona.
We look to St. Margaret of Cortona as an example of integrity, conversion, hope and strength of character. When Margaret was just seventeen, she left her parents to follow a man who promised love and security. For ten years, she lived, unmarried, with the man who was one day mysteriously murdered, leaving her to raise their son alone.
After being abandoned and forced to raise her child alone, Margaret returned to the home of her father and stepmother, only to be rejected by her stepmother, forcing Margaret to seek refuge with the Franciscans in Cortona. It was here that Margaret began a life of penance, simplicity, and devotion to life in servitude of God.
St. Margaret of Cortona underwent a significant conversion experience from a life in pursuit of earthly things to a soul centered on the Divine. Her radical shift from self-indulgence to selfless love and commitment to something greater not only gives us hope for ourselves, but for the lives of those who will reside in St. Margaret House.
St. Margaret is the patron saint of single mothers, as well as many other patronages. But for many of the single mothers that will live here, their character imbued with the desire to pursue a life of virtue, with little guidance or conviction to follow through, is common. We hope that by looking to St. Margaret of Cortona, the women that participate in this supportive housing program will harness her strength and spirit to seek integrity, conversion, and hope within themselves and their families.

One of our guidelines for ministry here at St. Francis Inn Ministries is that “We seek to involve others in our ministry.” We typically have people calling, emailing, knocking on the door, sending text messages, asking if they can help, and often the requests far exceed the need. You wouldn’t think that to be the case with the ghost town that was Hagert Street this week!

Not only did we not have a week-long high school group (as is customary throughout the summer), we also suffered the blows of the last week of summer, drawing all of our regular volunteers out of the city and, presumably, to the shore. Furthermore, our normal Team of eight permanent staff members dropped down to just five this week with coinciding retreats, vacations, and side jobs taking them away from us! We were, however, blessed to have been able to call former Franciscan Volunteers and other long-time veteran volunteers of the Inn to offer their hands and hearts to us and our guests this week.

We’re looking forward to having everyone back, training the new FVMs, and the beginning of the school year, meaning the revitalization of our daily high school and college groups that assist us with serving the evening meal!

New faces, new energy, and the fulfillment of one of our guidelines for ministry!

Oh, Dorothy Day...

In a recent article posted on CNN.com, Target was spotlighted for their endorsement of an organization that backs a known anti-gay candidate. The Human Rights Campaign has resolved to boycott the national chain until they revoke their generous ($150,000) contribution to the organization or until Target makes a matching donation to a pro-gay organization. It has caused a national outcry from employees of Target, individuals, and other small human rights and gay rights organizations.

This all comes much to my own dismay. I should’ve moved in to Target, or at least bought stock in the company, for all the time and money I spend there. But this is not a blog designed to rally people to support gay people, or even to get people to boycott Target; it is intended to bring to light those systems, companies, institutions that oppress or exploit people.

So where do we turn when we’re faced with social injustice? Dorothy Day, of course! She challenges this blog, yet again, with the concept of nonparticipation...

“Love of brother means voluntary poverty, stripping one's self, putting off the old man, denying one's self. It also means nonparticipation in those comforts and luxuries which have been manufactured by the exploitation of others .... If our jobs do not contribute to the common good, we pray God for the grace to give them up .... This would exclude jobs in advertising, which only increases people's useless desires, and in insurance companies and banks, which are known to exploit the poor of this country and others. Whatever has contributed to the misery and degradation of the poor may be considered a bad job, and not to be worked at...” [Catholic Worker, December 1948]

When we take the time to research what companies we’re supporting by our patronage and consequently what we're endorsing, we too often find systems of exploitation of some group or another. It is our duty to stand up for those being oppressed and the most tangible way to do so is nonparticipation.

So does this mean I won’t be going to Target? Yikes, but yes. It’s not that I have a strong belief in or alliance with the LGBT population, but I do side with the oppression of any individual or group. Therefore, the red bullseye will not be receiving any of my money until a resolution has been reached.

The Feast of St. Clare of Assisi

We give thanks and praise today to Saint Clare of Assisi for the perpetuation of the Franciscan order after Francis’ death. If not for her devotion to and deep-rooted belief in the radical simplicity and corporate poverty of St. Francis, it is probable that the order would have died out. Below you’ll find a letter Clare wrote to her sister, Agnes; it is one of the few writings of Clare and continues to be a source of strength and support to those engaged in ministry.

What you hold, may you always hold.
What you do, may you always do and never abandon.
But with swift pace, light step,
and unswerving feet,
so that even your steps stir up no dust,
go forward securely, joyfully, swiftly,
on the path of prudent happiness,
believing nothing which would dissuade you from this resolution
or which would place a stumbling block for you on the way,
so that you may offer your vows to the Most High
in the pursuit of that perfection
to which the Spirit of the Lord has called you.

The cost of bread increases... now what?

CNN issued a report saying that the cost of wheat has increased by 80% and is at its highest cost over the past two years. It goes on to say though the United States produces enough wheat to sustain itself, if drought-ridden Russia cannot provide the grain for the rest of the world, as it is most accustomed, the United States will then have to begin exporting its products, causing a price increase for domestic consumers. CNN posits that if the price hike holds steady for more than 20-30 days, consumers across the world will experience an increase in the normal cost for wheat-containing products, such as bread and pastries, a staple in many Americans’ diets.
In Victorian-era England, a demand for a minimum wage was realized using the cost of wheat to determine how much is necessary to most basically live at that time. The Speenhamland System (crazy name, legendary concept) created a base of acceptable living conditions and subsequently provided relief to individuals and families whose earnings fell below the cost of wheat. Additionally, the System instituted that it was no longer up to individual townships or parishes to determine individual or family eligibility of relief, but became a nation-wide accepted implementation of a general welfare system. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
England’s “cost of bread” concept was adopted by the colonies upon their foundation and is still used today, though solely conceptually, using basic commodities as a means for determining purchasing power (aka, the cost of living).
If the "cost of bread goes up," will the minimum wage increase? Will general welfare and SNAP benefits increase? How will this price increase affect those who struggle to make ends meet with limited income?

Check out the article on CNN here for more information. And the Speenhamland System here.

The Feast of St. Martha

In light of the feast of St. Martha, Brother Lawrence, a lay Carmelite from the 17th century, offers a compromise between the busy-ness of service and ministry of Martha and the consuming attentiveness and awareness of God among us of Mary-

“Our sanctification does not depend upon changing our works. Instead, it depends on doing those things for God's sake which we commonly do for our own. Brother Lawrence thought it was lamentable to see how many people mistook the means for the end, addicting themselves to certain works which they performed very imperfectly because of their human or selfish regard. The most excellent method he found for going to God was that of doing our common business without any view of pleasing men but purely for the love of God.

Brother Lawrence felt it was a great delusion to think that the times of prayer ought to differ from other times. We are as strictly obliged to adhere to God by action in the time of action, as by prayer in its time. His own prayer was simply a sense of the presence of God, his soul being at that time aware of nothing other than Divine Love. When the appointed times of prayer were past, he found no difference, because he still continued with God, praising and thanking Him with all his might. Thus his life was a continual joy.”

-Fourth Conversation from "The Practice of the Presence of God" of Brother Lawrence and friends