VIP Faith Leaders Stand with the Immigrant Community
[Excerpt]
The Trump administration has expanded immigration enforcement to include schools and places of worship, reversing long-standing guidance.
This policy change has prompted...Valley Interfaith Project in Phoenix to take action, educating religious congregations about their rights and protections under the law.
"They've definitely ratcheted up in intensity," said Mike, a board member of the Valley Interfaith Project, referring to the increased urgency felt by the community.
Valley Faith Leaders Collaborate to Safeguard... Immigrants in Places of Worship, ABC 15 Arizona [pdf]
VIP Advances 'Yes in God's Backyard' Legislation for Affordable Housing
[Excerpt]
...faith leaders and lawmakers from both sides... support two bills. The first: HB 2815, known as “Yes in Gods Back Yard”.
About HB2815, Rev. Sarah Oglesby-Dunegan, Minister at Valley Unitarian Universalist Congregation said, “Many of our congregations are sitting on unused land that they're eager to convert into affordable housing. This bill would adjust zoning to make it easier to do so. With restrictions on density to ensure projects fit with neighborhoods and requirements that the units be affordable to low- and middle-income people."
Then there’s HB2576. This would renew the state's low-income tax credit. Both bills work to address a long-term affordable housing solution while leveraging private equity.
Religious Leaders Calling on State Lawmakers to Address Housing Crisis, ABC 15 [pdf]
Religious Institutions Want AZ Law to Allow Low-Income Housing on Their Property, KJZZ [pdf]
VIP Charts Course on Proposal for Affordable Senior Housing
[Excerpt]
What we kept hearing was housing, affordable housing in particular, and rental housing,"
said Barb Quijada of the Valley Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Chandler.
....VIP had been hosting open house meetings for about two years, where representatives ask people about the real-life problems they are confronting.
Interfaith Group Maps Campaign for Dominion, Arizonan SanTan Sun
Interfaith Leaders Spearhead Fight for Housing in Chandler
[Excerpt]
“Despite our differences in theology, we have so many things in common across the different denominations,” said Quijada, who is a member of Valley Unitarian Universalist Congregation.
One of those things in common is affordable housing in the Valley. These congregations, which include Catholics, Methodists, Episcopalians and even Muslims, are all coming together through VIP to fight for issues they believe are worth fighting for.
Interfaith Effort Fighting for Affordable Housing in Chandler, ABC 15 [pdf]
VIP Leaders Defy NIMBYism in Fight for Affordable Housing in Chandler
[Excerpts]
"I think as a community, as a church, most of us are looking out for each other. It's important we stay together as a congregation and the people we know and love aren't forced to move away," Davis says.
....VIP is assembling Chandler residents, like retiree Susan Davis, to share their personal experiences of housing insecurity with elected officials in hopes of garnering support for the project.
- Davis, who is a member of Saint Matthew's Episcopal Church, moved to Chandler in 2019 to be closer to the church. At the time, her rent was $1,100. It's now $1,900, plus fees.
- "I'm struggling now to survive month to month. I'm just making it by the skin of my teeth," she tells Axios Phoenix.
How Metro Phoenix Churchgoers Are Fighting Against NIMBYs, Axios Phoenix [pdf]