Year of the "Unthinkable"?

The article in yesterday's Daily Progress titled "County mulls once 'unthinkable' cuts" got me thinking about the term "unthinkable."

I accept that we're in uncharted waters, economically. I also understand that the county is faced with some very difficult work in the days ahead. But proposing cuts to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund is very "thinkable," and it is one of the reasons IMPACT is so important.

We're all trying to cope with uncertainty these days, and it is certainly pushing us out of our comfort zones to contemplate job loss (our own or our neighbor's), high mortgages and rent, the increasing cost of health care. The list is long. But it's our responsibility to think - think long and hard - about what kind of world we want to create out of this fiscal ruin.

Do we want a return to the policies and attitudes that deny basic human rights of affordable shelter and reasonable access to health care, or basic services and safety, to people in Charlottesville and Albemarle County?

The possibility that we will retreat to the self-preservation bunker is very "thinkable." We need to be brave, to trust in God's abundance, and to continue to press forward to build the foundations of a community where justice is not only "thinkable," but essential.

A reminder - and this is going to be in a large font:

IMPACT Annual Assembly
Tomorrow night - October 19
6:30pm
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church

We'll be choosing an issue to focus on for the year, in addition to pre-school education. Please come and let your voice be heard as part of this important process!

I found this quote interesting on a number of levels:

When I feed the poor they call me a saint. When I ask why so many people are poor they call me a communist.

- Dom Helder Câmara, late archbishop of the Brazilian diocese of Olinda and Recife. Wednesday, Oct. 13 was the 10th anniversary of his death. (Source: Guardian)

See you tomorrow night!

Justice, Awareness and Memory

I was struck by the article in the Daily Progress yesterday on Charlottesville City Council's consideration of making an apology for it's former participation in the Massive Resistance pro-segregation movement 50 years ago.

This gesture has meaning. It's a position on justice. It says, "Charlottesville is a different city than it was 50 years ago. We find the actions and attitudes of the past reprehensible, and we are committed to a higher standard of justice." It's commendable.

Now, an advantage of writing about yesterday's news is seeing all the comments made by online readers. Calumny and praise in more or less equal measure. Standard stuff for the internet, I suppose. But the strong feelings elicited by this topic - recognition of past errors - reinforces my belief that the dialogue on justice must continue - respectfully, plainly, strongly.

Great News! Charlottesville Free Clinic Expansion Completed

The Charlottesville Free Clinic, which was a key player in the 2008 IMPACT issue of expanded dental care for the uninsured and under-insured, has moved into its expanded space. This is excellent news for ALL those earning between $10,000/year (for individuals) and $20,000 (for a family of four) in need of health care.

It's really great to see that we're making such progress in this important area. There's still much we can do at a national level (no further comment necessary), but for folks in Charlottesville and Albemarle County (and beyond!), this is significant.

This quote really struck me:

“[Patients] were delaying care because they couldn’t afford it and they were suffering from it. The response from local [medical personnel] in setting up the clinic and in volunteering was amazing,” said Dr. Mohan Nadkarni, whom clinic officials credit as the clinic’s founding father. “It’s really taken off, but I have mixed feelings about it. I wish it didn’t have to be here. We had no idea in 1992 that 15,000 people would be served. We thought it would be a short-term solution.”

Access to health care really is a justice issue - and I like to think we are making progress. And it's good to remember that there is still much to do:

To attain the promises of God, we need above all continuous exercise in the virtues; for however firm one’s commitment to some good may be, if it is not renewed daily, it quickly dies out.

John Trithemius
from the 'Rule', quoted in Essential Monastic Wisdom: Writings on the Contemplative Life by Hugh Feiss.

IMPACT Listening Process for 2009/2010

The listening process for the 2010 Nehemiah Action has begun. Each congregation, through a series of house meetings, gathers input to identify a issue of justice in our community which we believe would be well served by the IMPACT method of seeking a commitment from critical stakeholders on that issue. In addition, there's time to discuss IMPACT's evolving process, successes, and opportunities for development.

This year, we're trying something new. In addition to the congregational meetings, we'll also hold interfaith meetings, where different faith communities can share ideas and gain insight into the problems affecting different populations. St. Paul's has been teamed with Evergreen Ministries and Holy Comforter Catholic Church.

I am excited about this process - introspection, action, progress, justice. The interfaith side is a welcome addition. It reinforces the connection between the individual and their faith community, the connection between all faith communities united for justice, and the connection between all of us as residents of Charlottesville and Albemarle County.

Here's a very nice quote:

Maybe I’m not making big changes in the world, but if I have somehow helped or encouraged somebody along the journey then I’ve done what I’m called to do.

- Sister Thea Bowman
African-American Franciscan (1937-1990)

Nehemiah Action TONIGHT @ 6:15pm at U Hall

I hope you can make it to University Hall at 6:15pm tonight, March 30, for the Nehemiah Action. Music, testimony, prayer, and a strong call for justice in housing and education.

Great prayer for today:

O Lord, open my eyes that I may see the needs of others; open my ears that I may hear their cries; open my heart so that they need not be without succor; let me not be afraid to defend the weak because of the anger of the strong, nor afraid to defend the poor because of the anger of the rich ... And so open my eyes and my ears that I may this coming day be able to do some work of peace for thee.

- Alan Paton

Survey says: Childcare is getting tough and tougher

NBC29 did a piece on survey results from a group called Smart Beginnings on child care options (Survey Results: Child Care Struggles Flow Over into the Workplace) . I was mainly struck by this comment from a respondent:

"The cost (of child care) is just too much and I can't afford it and because of that, I feel my child won't get the early education she deserves to get her ready for school!"

It's striking to me when I hear the voice of parents who need to work multiple jobs, but who understand that child care needs to be more than a pair of eyes on their child. They know that if they don't find a place that engages well with their kids, it will have a strong negative effect on their children's future.

That's a frightening dilemma. You need to work to pay for rent/mortgage, food, etc., but you know your pre-schoolers need positive, engaging care to have a better chance when they get to school. But that costs money - and the space might not be available.

Please consider coming out on Monday night at 6:15PM at U Hall. Show that you want to see better opportunities for those in our area, our friends and neighbors who work in minimum wage jobs in businesses in the city and county, who are faced with the prospect of little to no affordable housing and who worry about their children falling behind in school.

Funding priorities and IMPACT

In an article ("Reserve proposed to fund new projects") in the Daily Progress yesterday, there were a lot of numbers thrown around. There's this much in the reserve fund, that much needed for programs x, y, and z. And it's noted that the Charlottesville Housing Fund is to get $400,000 less than the previous budget.

“Whenever funds are cut, it’s saddening to our community,” said Rickey White, pastor at Union Run Baptist Church and a member of IMPACT, a local interfaith group that has been credited with affordable housing accomplishments. “But we understand the economic situation that we’re in.”

I think it's wise to move our focus away from the dollars spent on one program or another, especially this year. Not that the programs aren't important, or that the money isn't needed. But putting a number on a program is always tricky, and fluid. The question shouldn't be, "How much are we spending?" but "Are we doing enough?"

"Doing enough" includes requesting public funding, but also includes asking questions about existing programs, looking for creative solutions, creating awareness in our community, building a group of people who believe strongly enough in these issues that they won't let them go, because they understand that we won't come out of these difficult times any stronger if we don't do enough.