"You Always Have the Poor with You": Scripture and Social Change

After one of my first letters to the editor on behalf of Social Action Ministries in support of Housing First and ending homelessness was published in an out-of-state newspaper, I took the opportunity to read the comments posted online underneath my contribution.

Click here to read the rest of this post on the new SAM blog at socialactionma.wordpress.com.

Housing and Human Dignity

Last week, we began to reflect upon a shift from emergency responses to permanent solutions—a shift that is rooted in the conviction that we cannot in good conscience allow homeless shelters or the streets to be considered acceptable “housing” for any members of our society.

Click here to read the rest of this post on the new SAM blog at socialactionma.wordpress.com.

Shifting from Emergency Responses to Permanent Solutions

Social Action Ministries (SAM) is dedicated to a single mission: engaging faith communities in efforts to end homelessness. For many people of faith who have participated in SAM throughout the years, this is an idea that makes sense: we need to respect the human dignity of our most vulnerable neighbors by finding ways to end their homelessness.

Click here to read the rest of this post on the new SAM blog at socialactionma.wordpress.com.

Dr. King's Easter Message

On April 4, 2010, many Christians celebrated Easter, the Christian holy day marking the resurrection of Jesus. In a CNN opinion piece, Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., chair of the Center for African-American Studies and the William S. Tod Professor of Religion and African-American Studies at Princeton University, notes that this year the anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., coincided with Easter.

Click here to read the rest of this post on the new SAM blog at socialactionma.wordpress.com.

Tikkun Olam: A Reflection from an Interfaith Forum in Waltham, MA

On March 25, 2010, members of faith communities, service providers, and others concerned about the issue of homelessness gathered in Waltham, MA, for “An Interfaith Call to Action: Community Forum on Housing and Homelessness.”

During the opening prayers, Susan Landau, Brandeis University Class of 2010 and entering rabbinical student, shared this reflection about the call in Judaism to build a world in which everyone has food and a home.

Click here to read the rest of this post on the new SAM blog at socialactionma.wordpress.com.

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!