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Initiatives to Help Asylum Seekers
The Interfaith Center of New York (ICNY) has been working to support asylum seekers and the faith communities serving them as part of efforts to address New York City’s migrant crisis. Over the past two years, since asylum seekers began arriving from Texas, ICNY has initiated two new projects.
One was a backpack drive to provide school supplies for students in migrant shelters, ensuring that 5,300 children had the necessary supplies for the new school year. The second initiative was a Migrant Services Coordination Summit, in collaboration with New York Interfaith Disaster Services, which brought together 75 organizations to discuss support strategies for new migrants, despite limited resources. ICNY continues to advocate for a more humane approach and encourages volunteers to get involved in helping these new residents.
Faith Communities and the Environment
Faith leaders and climate activists in Africa have joined forces to support the international Fossil Fuels Non-Proliferation Treaty, a global effort to halt the production and use of fossil fuels, which are the main drivers of climate change. Led by the Laudato Si' Movement and supported by various religious denominations, the treaty aims to transition to renewable energies, end new coal, oil, and gas production, and fairly phase out existing fossil fuel operations.
The Diocese of Salford in England is working to decarbonize churches as part of the Guardians of Creation initiative. This program has inspired nearly 50% of dioceses in England and Wales to reduce their carbon footprint, following Pope Francis' call to protect the environment as part of the Church’s mission.
Security
On October 1st, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it will distribute $210 million in Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) funds to protect faith-based institutions and nonprofit organizations against targeted attacks. The distribution of grant funds is one element of DHS’s multi-pronged strategy to protect communities and their institutions from targeted violence.
Last week, the NYPD heightened security at synagogues and diplomatic consulates a day earlier than planned, responding to missile attacks by Iran on Israel. Originally scheduled to begin on Wednesday for Rosh Hashanah, the increased police presence, including heavy weapons teams, was deployed on Tuesday at key locations like Temple Emanu-El and the Israeli consulate.
Homelessness and Housing
Faith-based institutions are playing an increasingly significant role in affordable housing development, particularly in high-cost cities like San Diego and New York. St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral in San Diego sold part of its land to a real estate developer to build the 525 Olive Apartments, which includes a mix of market-rate and affordable housing units. The church retains partial ownership of the property and uses the income to stabilize its finances. Cities like San Diego and New York are promoting the use of church-owned land for affordable housing, as seen in San Diego’s Yes in God’s Backyard initiative and New York’s City of Yes for Housing Opportunity plan.
Dallas has long struggled with a severe affordable housing shortage, but in 2024, a grassroots campaign led by the Dallas Housing Coalition (DHC) successfully secured $82 million in bond funding for affordable housing and homelessness initiatives. The DHC, a broad coalition of housing developers, nonprofits, and community organizations, advocated for the inclusion of affordable housing in the city’s bond program, which had previously focused on infrastructure projects like roads and parks.
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