We read about it in the papers. There is not enough housing available in California to meet the current need; there are roughly 600,000 units needed to meet current demand. We know people are being displaced by high rents and/or lack of availability. Our congregation helps support Our House Shelter, an emergency shelter for people who don’t have a home. It’s an important part of meeting the housing crisis. But what happens when people get back on their feet and cannot find a place to actually “set up house”?
There are many possible solutions to the housing crisis and all of them are needed. Is there something our congregation could do with other congregations to help mitigate the risk for people who are still sheltered but under threat of displacement? Our faith doesn’t happen in the vacuum of our sanctuary. It is meant to be lived in our lives, on our streets and in our communities. Just learning about the realities of the housing crisis in our state and in our region is an important first step to living our faith.
Our Organizing Team invites all of you to lunch and small group conversations about the work we are doing together and might do with others to make “more room at the Inn”. On January 13th after worship, we will gather for lunch and conversation. People have opinions about housing, but the urgency of the crisis calls for more than opinions.