Moment for Mission Archive

My name is Sue Spears. I am Moderator of the Peace and Social Justice Network at Rutgers. I'm going to talk you about the Habitat for Humanity NYC Housing Covenant. For some years now, Rutgers has been giving money to Habitat through our benevolence; in 2004 it is almost $1,000. In addition, this year Rutgers has become a Faith Partner with Habitat-NYC by endorsing their Housing Covenant. Rutgers will be participating in Habitat-NYC's fourth annual Building on Faith event through the month of October. Most of you know that Habitat works with volunteers and donated monies to construct affordable housing for low and moderate income families around the world. They have completed 170,000 of these. But in NYC, Habitat knows that the housing crisis cannot be solved by volunteer efforts to build homes. The crisis is too big: too many people are without adequate housing. So although Habitat does build in NYC - and you will have a chance to join in these important projects - it is also a strong advocate for better housing policy. To this end, Habitat is also encouraging churches, synagogues and mosques, their preachers and congregations, to join with Habitat as Faith Partners to endorse the Housing Covenant for 2004 and 2005, along with other organizations, businesses and the government. Faith Partners with Habitat-NYC are being asked to write postcards to Mayor Bloomberg, asking him to support policies endorsed by Habitat-NYC:

(1) end chronic homelessness - this year do it especially for the challenged and mentally ill; provide them with supportive housing; it is cheaper than sheltering the homeless.

(2) support the Local Civil Rights Restoration Act (Intro 22) to protect the vigor and independence of NYC's laws for human rights. This will help to end housing discrimination in NYC, one of most segregated areas in the USA.

(3) increase decent, affordable housing production by adopting mandatory city-wide inclusionary zoning, so that when/wherever new housing is constructed here, a fixed percentage is for low-income families.

The Rutgers Peace and Social Justice Network has 50 of these postcards from Habitat-NYC. We are trying to get as many as possible signed by you today. Stop by at the table with me outside the narthex after the service. Dr. Shafer is signing the endorsement page for the Housing Covenant. Dr. Shafer, Cheryl Pyrrch and I will be delivering the postcards and the endorsement to the Clergy Symposium and Covenant Endorsement Ceremony on October 27th.