Election Day is 4 weeks away and Faith leaders in Dallas are encouraging young people to become poll workers. NBC 5’s Noelle Walker talks to Rabbi Nancy Kasten, Robert Elkin & Reverend Stacey Brown. NBC 5’s Noelle Walker talks to Rabbi Nancy Kasten, Robert Elkin & Reverend Stacey Brown. “You look at the civil rights movement, many of those leaders were faith leaders because with us our faith is synonymous with how we live our lives… It is our job as people of faith to get involved and not just pay lip service but walk out our faith with our feet and our hands,” said Rev. Stacey Brown, pastor and Faith in Texas Clergy Table member. Watch the full video on NBC 5.
Rev. Wes Helm in DMN: We can’t let the coronavirus pandemic trigger a housing crisis
Should the coronavirus pandemic create a housing crisis? As the virus grinds on, its side effects are becoming more dangerous and pronounced. With furloughs becoming permanent layoffs, businesses and day care providers shutting down for good, and emergency relief efforts running out, Americans are facing greater insecurity in basic needs. Earlier this month, more than 60 Dallas-area religious leaders (including me) signed a letter to Judge D’Metria Benson and the county justices of the peace appealing to them to extend the local moratorium on eviction hearings. We asked them to go beyond the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by extending the protections to all our neighbors, including immigrant families who may not have been able to apply for previous assistance. … State and local orders lapsed last month. But even the remaining measures have limits, as the Rev. Wes Helm, an organizer with the nonpartisan advocacy group Faith in Texas, explained to me. Eviction notices could still be filed and rent and late fees accrued, and the CDC order imposes requirements that exclude some undocumented people and potentially legal immigrants seeking permanent residence. “We need protections in place right now,” Helm told me, “before we start putting lots of people on the street.” This is the concern that led faith leaders to draft and organize a letter to county court officials. “Many are on board” with continuing the moratorium, according to Helm, “and some are not.” … During our conversation, Helm of Faith in Texas acknowledged that the moratoriums are a short-term measure. “Eviction moratoriums buy us time and keep people off the streets, but we need to use that time to find long-term solutions.” Excerpted from The Dallas Morning News. Read the full article here.
Faith in Texas in D Magazine: North Texas Giving Day Is Off To a Great Start, But It Needs Your Help More Than Ever
North Texas nonprofits have had a year like no other. The pandemic increased need and demand to unprecedented levels. It decimated the volunteer force and disrupted in-person fundraising efforts that so many rely on. … Smaller nonprofits are suffering in a similar fashion without in-person fundraising opportunities. Faith in Texas is a grassroots nonprofit that tackles community needs by organizing faith-based organizations like mosques, synagogues, and churches. It strives to educate people on how they can effect change through programs like its voter engagement initiative. At the onset of the pandemic and as the Black Lives Matter movement poured into Dallas’ streets, Faith in Texas addressed the spread of the virus among the jail population that didn’t have the money to bail out while awaiting trial. Faith in Texas launched the 4:18 Luke Bail Fund, attracting donations from individuals, small businesses, and student groups. This year, with fewer congregations meeting in person, Faith in Texas’ fundraising opportunities have decreased significantly. Akilah Wallace, the nonprofit’s executive director, says the organization hopes the money from North Texas Giving Day can go toward its effort to convince Dallas County to invest more money into direct social services. In 2019, the event helped Faith in Texas raise $5,026, and this year they’ve raised $1,384 through early giving. “We are really grateful for the North Texas Giving Day and the CFT team for the way they helped center organizations that address racial inequity in North Texas as well as voter engagement efforts and issues-based organizing,” says Wallace. Excerpted from D Magazine. Read the full article here.
