Calling All Pastors and Faith Leaders
Defend the rights of the unhoused at a national level
Hey everyone, I wanted to share with you this opportunity to put what we talk about here into action.
In a month, the Supreme Court will hear the first significant case on homelessness in almost 50 years. I wrote about it a few weeks ago, and if you missed that or need a refresher, you can read that here:
Short version: the national effort to criminalize homelessness is going before the Supreme Court, and what they decide will influence local policy for the foreseeable future.
We know that criminalizing homelessness does nothing to end it. It only causes people to scatter, to be less safe, and to end up in jail instead of housing.
Here’s an opportunity to do something: if you represent a church or faith-based organization, sign onto this letter that will be sent to the Supreme Court and hopefully influence their decision. Tell the Supreme Court that criminalizing homelessness goes against our faith!
I’ve copied the message below that was email to me and kept all appropriate links. Please feel free to share this widely as well, with any faith communities (not just Christian!) you believe will support this effort.
The deadline to sign on is tomorrow, so do not wait on this!
“Our friends at the Kairos Center at Union Theological Seminary in New York are drafting an interfaith Amicus Brief that will be submitted to the Supreme Court on April 1st. Their brief will argue that punishing people for being poor and unhoused is immoral and goes against teachings from all major faith traditions. If your organization or faith community would like to sign on, please fill out this form by March 20th. Please see the attached document if you'd like more information, and if you have any questions, email shailly@kairoscenter.org, rachel.cohen@skadden.com, and carl.wu@skadden.com”
Thank you all!
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