Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Welcome to the Social Action Ministries Blog!

Welcome to the Social Action Ministries blog! We are excited to have you join us as we work together to end homelessness.

Social Action Ministries (SAM) was founded in 1976 by clergy and lay leaders in Boston who recognized the growing numbers of homeless individuals who were coming to the very doorsteps of their congregations. Over the next decades, SAM played a key role in the development of homeless services and advocacy to end homelessness. Now a program of the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance (MHSA), SAM encourages the involvement of all faiths in a singular mission: ending homelessness.

As part of a growing movement across Massachusetts to focus on permanent solutions to homelessness, SAM is not alone in its vision for a society in which no one is without a home. Faith communities bring a number of unique gifts to this movement, including a moral voice that, when combined with critical thinking and evidence-based solutions, have the potential to help change the way that we address homelessness here in Massachusetts.

As we take action together to end homelessness, this blog will provide a space for us to share reflections about the relationship between faith and social action. We’ll highlight news articles about religion and politics, provide updates about faith communities’ efforts to address homelessness, and invite guest bloggers to share their perspectives about the variety of ways that their religious backgrounds have shaped their understandings of social justice. We are excited to hear your voices and your stories, so we hope that you will contribute reflections, articles, and links by contacting Caitlin Golden at cgolden@mhsa.net.

Thank you for all that you do to end homelessness. We look forward to hearing from you!