Tag: congregationconnections

Deep Dive: Housing Resources

This month we’re recommending two books that get at root causes of our current housing crisis.  Evicted by Matthew Desmond follows eight families as they work to keep housing. “Evicted transforms our understanding of poverty and economic exploitation while providing fresh ideas for solving one of 21st century America’s mose devastating problems. Its unforgettable scenes of hope and loss reminds us of the centrality of home, without which nothing else is possible.” –evictedbook.com   The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein shows that housing and neighborhood segregation was not an accident. It is a result […]

More than Casework Services – Getting to Root Causes

“We learned a lot from you and we are in the process of changing how we handle financial requests we receive. Thank you again.” –Lee Street Christian Reformed Church Deacons shared this with our our Congregation Connections Team this past year. Lee Street CRC is pictured above (photo credit to Troy Meekhof, @MidJulyMedia). No day is quite the same in the Congregation Connections’ program at Access. The phone stays busy, and there is a constant of flurry of emails and check requests. Why all the activity? In the past year our Congregations Connections team worked with 100 partner churches to serve […]

Congregation Connections: August Deep Dive

Every month our Congregation Connections program sends out a newsletter that includes a deep dive. The Deep Dive is an invitation to join us in learning more about compassion, justice, and equity. You can always let us know if you have a resource to share! You can read the whole August Newsletter here.    Deep dives are not just for adults! This month we’re encouraging you to also spend time talking to youth about issues of race and justice. Dr. Margaret Haberman, author of White Kids :Growing up with Privilege in a Racially Divided America, says,”kids are learning and hearing about race […]

Face the Facts: Housing

Myth: A house is all about the aesthetics. Truth: Where you live is an indicator of health. Turn on the TV station HGTV and you’ll get many ideas of what paint colors go together, how to furnish a living room and what color backsplash to add to your new granite counter tops. Or just add things to your wish list of what your house good be like. Yet a home is more than just a building with rooms. It’s a representation of a life. And it also affects your health. The National Center for Healthy Housing names housing as a […]