NCC End Poverty

Fighting Poverty with Faith

"Speak up, judge righteously, champion the poor and needy." (Proverbs 31:9)

Contact Congress!
Congress has now returned from their summer recess, and it is time for them to hear from you. Email your Senators and Representative NOW, and ask them to help low-income Americans during the “Great Recession” by advancing programs that invest in Good Jobs and Green Jobs. Ask your member of Congress to support extension of unemployment insurance benefits. It is expected that more than 1.5 million dislocated workers will run out of Unemployment Insurance benefits by the end of 2009 without Congressional action.

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The National Council of Churches Poverty Initiative seeks to empower and mobilize the faith community to lend its powerful moral and public voice to the ongoing and urgent debate around poverty. To download resources, and to get more involved in the mobilization, click here.

The National Council of Churches Poverty Initiative is partnering with over 33 national faith-based groups in the 2009 Fighting Poverty with Faith: Good Jobs, Green Jobs initiative. The Fighting Poverty with Faith: Good Jobs, Green Jobs initiative is a coalition of national faith-based groups working together to ensure that our transition to a new energy efficient economy will lead to meaningful poverty-reduction and that communities are not left out of the opportunities presented by the emerging, green sectors. As a community of faith, we believe that every person is entitled to a life of dignity and opportunity, and that it is our responsibility to advocate for legislation that awards our brothers and sisters that opportunity.

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February 10, 2010

Subject:

Dear Legislator:

The U.S. Census Bureau announced on September 10th that real median household income in the United States fell 3.6 percent between 2007 and 2008, from $52,163 to $50,303. This breaks a string of three years of annual income increases and coincides with the recession that started in December 2007. The nation’s official poverty rate in 2008 was 13.2 percent, up from 12.5 percent in 2007. There were 39.8 million people in poverty in 2008, up from 37.3 million in 2007. Part of the reason for these numbers is the continued high unemployment. As a person of faith, I believe it is imperative to care for those in poverty, and part of that is making sure those losing their jobs can continue to meed basic needs. It is vital to extend unemployment insurance benefits before the end of 2009, or else more than 1.5 million people will lose their benefits. As we continue to suffer through difficult economic times, it is the call of God to care for those being affected the most. That starts with those losing their jobs. Extend the unemployment insurance benefits.
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