PICO Network News - June 19, 2008

[Discussion list for COMM-ORG]

From: "PICO National Network" <news at piconetwork.org>


Thursday, June 19, 2008

COMMUNITY BENEFITS

PICO affiliates across the country are organizing to make sure
that low-income families and communities benefit from public
investment.

Coalition negotiates agreement for 3,500 affordable homes, jobs

For the first time in San Francisco history, an alliance of
community and labor groups worked together to secure a binding
agreement from a private developer to include an extensive list
of benefits as part of a major redevelopment project. In May,
PICO affiliate San Francisco Organizing Project (SFOP), together
with ACORN and the San Francisco Labor Council, announced that
it had reached an agreement with the Lennar Corporation, the
developer of the Bayview-Hunter's Point Shipyard, that includes
over 3,500 units of affordable housing and $17 million in
workforce development. Read more about how SFOP won this
historic agreement at http://ga3.org/ct/Kp_svVd1KYvk/

Queens congregations fight for affordable housing in
redevelopment project

On June 11, over 400 members of Queens Congregations United for
Action (QCUA) came together to ask members of the New York City
Council to support working families in the city's plan to
redevelop Willets Point. After hundreds of conversations with
community members and workers in Willets Point, QCUA, together
with the Willets Point Coalition, developed a comprehensive
platform for the project, which includes housing for families
earning below $25,000, relocation of existing businesses, and
viable work options for displaced workers. Read more about how
QCUA is building support for its plan at
http://ga3.org/ct/Zd_svVd1KYvo/

Youth win apprenticeship program in $600 million school bond

On May 13, youth leaders from PICO affiliate Inland
Congregations United for Change (ICUC) in San Bernardino held a
town hall meeting with city and school district officials,
asking them to take steps to address youth violence after a
district-wide survey of high school students showed that the
city's schools are plagued by racial strife and violence. Among
the evening's victories was the creation of a Project Labor
Agreement covering a $600 million school bond that will
apprentice youth in construction trades. Read more about ICUC's
innovative plans to tackle youth violence at
http://ga3.org/ct/V1_svVd1KYvp/

HEALTHY FAMILIES

PICO works to block federal rule limiting kids health care

In May, PICO National Network joined with First Focus and the
National Association of Community Health Centers in circulating
a letter signed by 180 national, state, and local organizations
calling for a moratorium to a federal rule limiting the ability
of states to expand their child health care programs to families
earning above 250 percent of the federal poverty level. In a
show of bi-partisan leadership, the Senate voted 75-22 for
legislation that included a moratorium on the rules. "This is
the kind of leadership that America needs to move our country
forward on the road to covering all of our children," said Rev.
Heyward Wiggins, member of the PICO National Network Steering
Committee. Now the House of Representatives must take action on
the moratorium. Read more about the moratorium at
http://ga3.org/ct/Z7_svVd1KYvl/

GOOD SCHOOLS

New Bedford wins support for Community Education Compact

Over 500 parents, teachers, and community members in New Bedford
met with the Mayor and members of the School Committee in May,
asking them to join with PICO affiliate United Interfaith Action
of Southeastern Massachusetts (UIA) in tackling the city's high
dropout and low college attendance rates. The Mayor and School
Committee members signed a covenant with UIA committing to
achieve specific goals for the city's schools, including
increasing graduation rates to 80 percent and college attendance
by 25 percent over five years. Learn more about the details of
the compact at http://ga3.org/ct/K7_svVd1KYvi/

HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES

Washington Mutual agrees to negotiate with homeowners facing
foreclosure

On May 31, PICO affiliate Contra Costa Interfaith Supporting
Community Organization (CCISCO) in Antioch, CA organized a
public meeting with a mortgage lending specialist from
Washington Mutual to call on the bank to work with community
members who are facing difficulties covering their mortgage
payments. A recent survey of households in Antioch found
residents paying nearly 75 percent of their income on housing
and having difficulty arranging face-to-face meetings with
banks. Read more about CCISCO's plan to help homeowners at
http://ga3.org/ct/Vd_svVd1KYvP/

Downtown Orlando churches launch IDignity campaign

An ecumenical coalition of five downtown Orlando churches have
united through PICO affiliate Federation of Congregations United
to Serve (FOCUS) to provide free Florida ID cards to the
homeless. After speaking with homeless people and researching
the issue with service providers and elected officials, the
coalition of churches decided to launch the IDignity program.
Referred to as the "golden ticket," a Florida ID is crucial to
access services and obtain employment. Read more about the
program at http://ga3.org/ct/Z1_svVd1KYv9/

Allentown leaders seek to curb blight

On June 2, PICO affiliate Congregations United for Neighborhood
Action (CUNA) in Allentown, Pennsylvania, brought over 150
residents together to meet with the Mayor and the city's Rental
Housing Supervisor to ask them to take action to curb blight in
this former industrial city of 105,000. With representatives
from 26 congregations present at the meeting, CUNA showed the
breadth of religious support for dealing with the abandoned
properties and lack of code enforcement that plague Allentown.
Read more about how CUNA is fighting blight at
http://ga3.org/ct/K1_svVd1KYvn/

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

Sacramento congregations ask next mayor to invest in youth

In May, youth and adult leaders from PICO affiliate Sacramento
Area Congregations Together (ACT) asked the next Mayor of
Sacramento to invest in preventative strategies to reduce youth
violence. Over 1,100 people from throughout Sacramento attended
the forum to hear mayoral candidates respond to questions from
ACT leaders about specific actions they will take to address
youth issues that surfaced through a survey of over 250 area
youth. Read more about ACT's youth platform at
http://ga3.org/ct/Zp_svVd1KYv0/

SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS

Brockton churches focus on ending violence

In Massachusetts, PICO affiliate Brockton Interfaith Community
(BIC) held a high-energy town hall meeting with the Mayor and
Police Chief in late May, calling on them to take specific
actions to reduce violence and help residents find jobs in this
city of 95,000 people located 30 miles south of Boston. The
Mayor and Police Chief supported BIC's proposals, promising to
hire street outreach workers, begin opening police substations
in neighborhoods, and reduce employment barriers for former
inmates. Learn more about BIC's plan for Brockton at
http://ga3.org/ct/Kd_svVd1KYv8/

3,000 Oakland residents rally to Save Lives Now

On May 22, over 3,000 members of Oakland Community Organizations
(OCO) packed the city's Convention Center to call on city,
county, and state officials to support the Oakland Strategy to
reduce youth violence. Developed by OCO and partner
organizations, the Oakland Strategy connects young people most
at risk for gun violence to lifelines for opportunity. Read more
about the Oakland Strategy at http://ga3.org/ct/Dp_svVd1KYvh/

JOBS

PICO federations in MA, CA, LA and more have job openings

Visitors to PICO's careers page can now search for jobs, submit
their resumes online, and sign up to receive future job
announcements. Visit http://ga3.org/ct/D1_svVd1KYvE/ and sign
up to receive regular updates on jobs in PICO.

DONATE

PICO needs your financial support

PICO's success in empowering families and improving communities
depends on financial contributions from our donors. To help
support our work on the issues you've read about in this issue
of e-news and others, go to http://ga3.org/ct/V7_svVd1KYvQ/ to
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See past issues of PICO Network News at
http://ga3.org/ct/Dd_svVd1KYvU/