E-Newsletter for May 13, 2008In this issue:
An update from the Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy, an independent research project of the Rockefeller Institute of Government. The public policy research arm of the State University of New York.
New! Lawmakers Pass Housing Bills, Face Opposition The U.S. House of Representatives last week passed two major housing bills in response to a national mortgage crisis in which a record number of American families are losing their homes. The Neighborhood Stabilization Act of 2008 would establish a $15 billion loan and grant program to help states purchase and rehabilitate foreclosed homes and prevent neighborhoods, particularly those in low- and moderate-income urban areas, from declining. The program would provide grants to states, counties, cities, and nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations, for administration, buying foreclosed properties, and rehabilitation and demolition. The second bill, the American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act, is a combination of several major housing bills that would establish a $300 billion fund for mortgage insurance to about half a million borrowers threatened with foreclosure, who are fighting to hold onto their homes. Several nonprofit groups that provide services to low-income families, including the faith-based Catholic Charities and Habitat for Humanity, endorsed the Neighborhood Stabilization Act. White House officials said President George W. Bush intended to veto both bills because they are “bailouts” for lenders and would incite more foreclosures by lenders rather than attempting to work out a solution with homeowners. Click here to read more by Roundtable Correspondents Anne Farris and Claire Hughes. New! Public and Private Partners Feed Hungry New Mexicans As soaring costs for food and fuel push the price of a meal out of the reach of some Americans, perhaps nowhere is the urgency of the situation felt more than in New Mexico. In a state where 32 of 33 counties are rural, and there is one food store every 486 square miles, a trip for groceries can place more burden on a home budget than many families can bear. Even before $4-a-gallon prices for milk and gasoline were imaginable, a higher percentage of New Mexicans were likely to go hungry than residents of any other state, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which listed the state No. 1 in what the federal government calls “food insecurity.” That meant one in four New Mexican children didn’t know if they would have anything to eat at their next meal. A public-private partnership to address the problem, spearheaded by the state Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, was launched more than a year ago, drawing the attention of other states looking for innovative ways to combine resources and get around bureaucratic red tape to feed their hungry residents, according to officials in New Mexico and Washington, D.C. As the program’s initial key feature – a program to keep children fed during the summer – is set to expand from a three-site pilot program to 35 sites, the problem of hunger is more pressing than ever. Click here to read more by Roundtable Correspondent Claire Hughes. New! Congress Slated to Vote on Farm Bill Food aid and nutrition programs are one component of the $280 billion, five-year Farm Bill that lawmakers have been wrangling over since last year. With the global food crisis and greater demands for humanitarian aid exerting pressure on them to reauthorize the existing 2002 version of the law, legislators may be ready to vote on the measure as early as Wednesday. President Bush, however, continues to threaten to veto the bill, which he has said spends too much and maintains subsidies to farmers that are too high at a time of record prices for crops. He proposed extending the current Farm Bill another year. Some nonprofit organizations that provide food to poor people are pushing for passage of the bill, which increases spending on nutrition programs. Others, while supportive of those increases, have been concerned about maintaining subsidies to farmers. The secular Oxfam America, which had worked last year with a faith- based coalition called the Religious Working Group on the Farm bill for reforms to the legislation, now opposes the bill. Click here for a July 17, 2007 interview with Jim French of Oxfam America. Event: African American Healthy Marriage Conference, June 17-19 HHS' Administration for Children and Families will host its annual African American Healthy Marriage Initiative Conference on June 17-19 at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. This year's theme is “Building Strong and Healthy Families: Connecting Marriage Research to Practice.” HHS describes the African American Healthy Marriage Initiative as an outreach effort to promote and strengthen marriages within the black community. ACF has partnered with national, civic, faith-based and community organizations to offer marriage education services to Americans who may not have such opportunities in their neighborhoods. The Healthy Marriage Initiative, in all its components, is not without controversy. Supporters of the initiative say the benefits of marriage include more stabile families, greater wealth, and a healthier atmosphere for the well-being of children. Opponents fear that some women will become trapped in abusive or submissive relationships, while others say marriage is an intensely private matter that should not involve the government. Click here for more information on the conference. Weekly Digest of Federal Grants with Faith-Based and Community Organization Eligibility The grant opportunities this week for community and faith-based organizations are through programs administered by the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Justice, and by the U.S. Agency for International Development. Potential applicants should be aware that some grant programs require specific technical expertise, or experience in particular foreign countries. Click here for the grants digest.
Roundtable Digest of Current Faith-Based News Stories
Macon officials, feds to talk about grant allegations today http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8268
N.O. clinic's reins shift to Charity Hospital system http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8271
Lutheran World Relief Pledges Initial $50,000 to Myanmar (Burma) Aid Efforts http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8275
Jobs for Life aims to teach crucial life skills http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8272
Muslim clinics fill health care needs; More facilities popping up to aid the underserved http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8273
Nutrition groups fighting for farm bill http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8269
Pastor says Brooks' project will boost community http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8270
Feds Turn to Churches to Help Welcome Immigrants http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8244
REV.'S WIFE: LET'S TALK SEX. Just preaching 'say no' not the answer, she sez http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8245
Stafford delays vote on addiction-recovery center: Addiction-recovery program still needs county approval http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8246
Mother keeps her baby while dealing with addiction and after doing prison time http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8247
Idle hands craft goods for giver and receiver http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8248
Two cities to get anti-gang money; Durham and Raleigh will get their splits of a $2.5 million grant in hand next week http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8250
Group feeding needy sues state parks agency; Doheny State Beach ranger had threatened volunteers with arrest. http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8251
Church 'adopts' Vallejo Middle School http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8249
Evangelicals press to fight global warming http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8255
Two foster homes merge; Our House takes The Carpenter's Way Ranch in http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8256
Blessed beginning Low-cost clinic serves about 50 a day since opening http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8257
Groups that received money from the Safe Schools Initiative http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8263
Family First fuels church-state debate http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8265
Lehmans, golf world lend help to center http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8258
Community builders: Couple work to give West Central Neighborhood a brighter future http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8259
Samaritan Center seeking volunteers; Puzzle ministry starts in Mandeville http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8260
Former gang member teams up with partner in Pasco to teach kids self-defense, keep them out of gangs http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8261
Panel backs poverty fight *** Lawmaker: Issue affects everyone http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8252
Allentown seeks help to cut gang activity; It has money to spend on programs to occupy youths' time. http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8253
Backlash rises against revealing clothes for girls http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8262
Administrators had reservations about faith-based grant http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8266
Youth agencies make the grade http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8264
An End to Payday Loans? http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=8254
Weekly Opinion Roundup - 5/13/2008 http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/news_opinion_5_13_08.cfm The
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