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The United Church of Canada/L'Église Unie du CanadaMonday, August 4, 2008
Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ, the One whose global ministry we share even in our own local towns and townships, villages, and cities. It is in these places that we yearn for God’s realm to come—where the unemployed wait vacillating between hope and fear and where on sidewalks, in parks, and in places out of view the homeless wrap themselves against cold and insecurity.
For many years, The United Church of Canada has been an active partner in a national effort to persuade various levels of government to provide adequate and affordable housing. We have advocated that governments have a fundamental responsibility to improve the health and well-being of all Canadians and to ensure sufficient and suitable funding for housing. Congregations have participated in this challenge with others by offering emergency shelter to the homeless, initiating non-profit housing coalitions, and actively advocating for better housing conditions with elected officials.
Nevertheless, this significant determinant of health remains unfulfilled for many. To find “no room at the inn” is not only the deepest fear of many of us, it is a daily reality. Canada lacks an adequate supply of homes, existing housing stock is deteriorating, and our emergency shelters are overflowing. A year ago, a United Nations special rapporteur declared Canada was experiencing “a national housing crisis.”
Without your help, things will get worse. As of March 31, 2009, Canada’s federal government will allow several existing programs—some in partnership with the provinces—to end. No additional funding for the years ahead was provided in the latest federal budget.
The programs that are now under threat include the Federal Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program, Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program, and the Homelessness Partnering Strategy. These programs have made more affordable housing projects possible. They have helped people suffering economic hardship stay in their homes. They have sustained agencies whose vital support has prevented homelessness.
It will take a concerted commitment by individuals, organizations, and institutions to ensure that these essential housing programs do not end. Because of this, I am asking you to write to your federal Member of Parliament with these requests:
This request comes at a time when two Canadian ecumenical organizations of which the United Church is a member are preparing for the Week to End Poverty, October 12–18. Attached you will find a flyer from KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives inviting your participation in this week. You will also receive, this fall, a mailing from the Canadian Foodgrains Bank with educational materials for World Food Day, which takes place on October 16. These initiatives support the ongoing effort to end poverty, of which this housing initiative is a significant part.
Thank you for prayerfully considering these issues and doing your part to encourage your federally elected officials to care for everyone who seeks shelter, safety, and inclusion in our midst. Thank you for prayerfully considering how you and your congregation can work with others to address the issues of homelessness in your community. Thank you for letting the cry of the oppressed remind you of Jesus’ teaching that to care for the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and those in prison was to care for him. Our active caring is the hope for so many.
May the realm of God whose coming we pray for become more tangible because we have embraced all members of God’s human family in this effort.
Sincerely,
The Right Rev. David Giuliano
Moderator
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