I work in a cubicle.  Instead of walls, I am separated from my co-workers by partitions covered with thumbtack-able fabric.  Each of my co-workers has a different strategy for making their cubicle look less sterile and more like “home”.  My favorite corner of my cubicle is this poster, which gives me a daily reminder of one of my favorite Martin Luther King Jr. quotes, “True peace is not merely the absence of tension, it is the presence of justice.”

Tomorrow, August 28, 2010, is the 47th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.  There will be a variety of groups in Washington DC tomorrow who are using the anniversary of the march and of the famous “I Have A Dream” speech to promote their own agendas.  Instead of getting sucked in to the controversy surrounding this year’s anniversary, I’ve decided to reflect on the words of Dr. King and to think about how his words inspire me in my work here at St. Anthony Foundation.

Dr. King spoke about service, and the following quote reminds me of our wonderful and generous volunteers and interns:

“Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

It was exactly the type of audacity that Dr. King describes below that led to the founding of our free Dining Room almost 60 years ago.

“I have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits.”

As St. Anthony Foundation’s Advocacy Coordinator, I am especially inspired by Dr. King’s words about taking difficult stands on important issues:

“Many people fear nothing more terribly than to take a position which stands out sharply and clearly from the prevailing opinion. The tendency of most is to adopt a view that is so ambiguous that it will include everything and so popular that it will include everybody. Not a few men who cherish lofty and noble ideals hide them under a bushel for fear of being called different.”

I’ll end this post with a call to action!  Dr. King said that, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”  I hope that the 47th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom will inspire people to stop being silent and to speak out about what matters to them.  Whether you “speak out” by volunteering your time to help someone in need, making a donation to a cause you believe in, contacting an elected official about an issue that matters to you, or talking to your children about poverty and justice, I hope that you’ll take a moment this weekend to interrupt the silence with your powerful voice!

Social Security has got some changes coming in the near future.  With the wave of “baby boomers” getting closer and closer to retirement age the system is plain and simple not prepared to pay out as it has for other generations.

The maximum monthly Social Security Income benefit for a senior is $845 per month, $57 less than the federal poverty level.

A recent 2010 survey by The Senior Citizens’ League reported that more than 76% of seniors in the U.S. survive on smaller monthly incomes as a result of the annual cost of living adjustment being denied in 2010.  Ninety-two percent of those seniors’ monthly expenses increased between $40 and $120 in 2009, while their income did not increase at all. Nearly half reported having difficulties paying their electrical and utility bills; 46% cut back on hospital and doctors visits to make up the difference.

The bottom line is that seniors relying on Social Security Income are no longer living on a fixed income, but a shrinking income.

An article in today’s The Washington Independent examines the options being laid on the table to salvage, strip or scrap the program all together.

There are several schools of thought on how to fix this benefit, the two front runners being to raise the age requirement to receive the benefit, the other is to change the annual cost of living adjustments to adhere to the consumer price index rather than the wage index.

“This logic works in theory,” the article contends, “But in practice, it would seriously impact lower-income Americans. Why? Seniors spend differently than average-aged workers: They buy more healthcare goods and services. And healthcare costs are skyrocketing well above the average inflation rate, so lowering benefits would make it more difficult for retirees to cover their costs. The more economically strapped the American, the more it would hurt.”

As far as raising the age to receive the benefit, supporters argue that the average American lives longer than they once did and therefor would spend more years working.  “The hardship of raising the retirement age falls disproportionately on low-income workers who work in physically demanding professions, jobs they may not be able to continue through their seventh decade.”

In fact, low-income Americans’ lifespans have increased only two years, while their wealthy counterparts’ have increased seven years.

Hopefully there will be discussion of what these proposals mean to the daily lives and survival of the most vulnerable in our society, not just dollars and cents in a budget.

A St. Anthony Scarving Artist Knitter takes a stand against the San Francisco Sit-Lie Ordinance (Prop L)which is on is also known by its supporters as the Civil Sidewalks proposition.

The ordinance would restrict sitting or lying on sidewalks citywide from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Police officers must give a warning before they can give a citation and the ordinance cannot be used to restrict the people’s rights to free speech and peaceful assembly (if they have bought city permits). A single offense will result in \$100 ticket, while subsequent ones may result in 30 days in jail.

However this knitter joins others who believe:

1. That it is always wrong to write laws that criminalize people just for being poor;
2. That it is an especially bad idea when those laws make criminals out of all of us; and
3. That the focus on sit/lie is making it harder for San Franciscans to find out about the real solutions that our
   communities are putting forward

And don’t forget to join us for a “Flash Mob Knit” on Saturday, September 25th promptly at noon —we’ll be there and gone in  a flash! at the Powell St. turn-around—for an adventure in domestic activism!

When we knit together together we can improve the world one scarf at a time. Those who will receive our scarves as gifts will know that there are people in the world who care for others and that love not ignorance trimuphs.

On Wednesday August 11th, State Legislators & other politicians in Sacramento met with everyday people to discuss alternative ways to balance the CA budget with out cutting money from vital social programs. Residents at Father Alfred Center, St. Anthony’s inpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation program, residents went there with the Jusice Education, Volunteer and Advocacy program and The Health and Human Services Network to show the face of those in treatment.

HHS Came to the talks with three stated goals.
• “To Invest in and protect the health and human services vital to California’s economy and families.”
• “To champion alternatives to dismantling our health care and human services including targeted state revenues and federal recovery funds.”
• And finally, “To reform and re-invent the states broken budget process.”

Father Alfred Center Residents who attended spoke on a number of issues related to these goals.

For example, California currently imposes a lifetime ban on food stamps for individuals who are convicted of drug related felonies (even those in recovery). One resident who spoke at the event told me, “Food Stamps help Stimulate the economy among other things. By keeping them from those seeking treatment, the economy is denied that stimulation effect.”

Other ideas proposed were a nickel tax on all alcoholic beverages sold in CA, and a tax on imported oil.

When I asked her to comment Colleen Rivecca of St. Anthony Foundation’s Jusice Education, Volunteer and Advocacy program told me:

“One of the budget balancing strategies in the Governor’s Budget Proposal is to cut the benefit levels for people receiving SSI/SSP grants. SSI/SSP recipients are low-income blind, elderly and disabled people, and they are ineligible for Food Stamps. People receiving SSI/SSP have already received 3 grant level reductions within the past year. The guys talked about the growing numbers of seniors and people with disabilities that they see every day while working in at St. Anthony Dining Room – they said that these people are already struggling to make ends meet, and a further reduction in their benefits would make it even more difficult for them to survive.”

A lot of good ideas were exchanged at the meeting, and as always Father Alfred Center Residents and St Anthony Foundation was there to do their part.

“Making budget priorities is essential in tough economic times. But we need to remember that although closing a park may be inconvenient, closing down programs like CalWORKS hurts children and destroys families.” This quote from an editorial piece in Monday’s San Francisco Chronicle written by George Niederauer, archbishop of the San Francisco Catholic diocese.

These sentiments are echoed by many low-income and struggling Californians and those who advocate for them.  A $19 billion deficit is in no way going to be balanced strictly by cutting services to public parks, nor is it possible to raise taxes to cover that large of a gap.  There must be a compromise, there must be deliberate and well-thought out decisions made.   They must be made not from a brash crisis mindset but from one of responsibility and solidarity with those most vulnerable, that we as Californians can stand behind, accountable and with clear conscious.

“Now is the time for our legislators and the governor, many of whom are not facing re-election, to show real courage and imagination. Families are suffering because of a devastating – but curable – budget crisis. Lawmakers and the governor have the tools and the ability to solve these problems, but it requires leadership. They need to stop giving in to special interests and start looking after the future of California. They need to stop the partisanship and the bickering.”

None of St. Anthony Foundation’s health and social service programs are funded through government sources, yet we at St. Anthony’s are involved in budget advocacy. We work to protect the safety net because we know that we can not be as effective in helping our guests transition to stable lives without public-sector investment in health and social services that help support the low-income, the homeless, the sick, the elderly, and the disabled.

Health and Human Services Network of California is a coalition of advocates, health and social service providers, low-income families, seniors, people with disabilities, and people who believe in a California that cares for all of its residents have joined together in a Summer of Action for a fair California budget. Anyone can be a part of the budget justice movement by making a simple phone call to their legislators and telling them to support a Family Recovery Budget for California that:

1) Creates and maintains jobs,

2) Protects our state’s vital health and human services, and

3) Includes targeted revenue solutions at the State and Federal levels, to get our economy, our State, and all families back on track.

Not sure who your legislators are? Enter your zip code at the Official California Legislative Information site to find out.

This “From the Intern Desk” is from Taylour, a current intern at St. Anthony Foundation.

Every morning before my day begins at St. Anthony’s, I spend time at the neighboring Saint Boniface Church to sit, reflect, and take in the Gubbio Project. The Gubbio Project creates a daytime sanctuary for the homeless to rest in the pews after a long night of roaming the streets of San Francisco. By providing refuge, clean bathrooms, a staff of security, and even haircuts and massages provided by volunteers, St. Boniface is transformed into a daytime oasis for the homeless.

Cast in a shadow of amber, a symphony of deep, soothing, snores resonate throughout the dimly lit church. The snores hum through the hall of the church, as others looking for a place to sleep filter in. Pious believers kneel silently, co-existing peacefully, dwarfed by the church’s enormity. In and out, the snores sift through flickering candles, creating an ethereal sentiment and a place of refuge, worship, and warmth. Encrusted in gold, stained glass windows, beautiful murals, and decorated with sculpture, the church creates an ornate grandiose that envelops the weak, tired, and poor.

In a city replete with sharp contrasts, from the ritz and glitz of Nob Hill to the rough streets of the Tenderloin, juxtaposition usually signals a disparity of wealth and lifestyle that creates division. However, in this contrast between the grandiosity of St. Boniface and the homeless man who has not showered in days, a beautiful metaphor emerges, as wealth and beauty welcomes the poor and downtrodden.

After months of debate, Congress still has not been able to pass a bill (H.R. 4213, The American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010) that would extend Unemployment Insurance and would help support Medicaid and affordable housing programs.

The California Employment Development Department reports that as of June 22, 2010, there are 205,000 Californians who are in danger of running out of Unemployment Insurance benefits or who have already received their last check.

Not only do we need to advocate for the extension of Unemployment Insurance, medical care, and affordable housing funding, we have to tell Congress not to pay for these programs by cutting other vital services, like anti-hunger programs!  (One of the ideas floating through the Senate last week was to pay for the Unemployment Insurance extension by cutting $9.5 billion from the Food Stamp program!)  It’s unbelievable to me that the Senate would consider making this type of “Sophie’s Choice”, but I guess I feel that way because I work here at St. Anthony’s, where we take a holistic approach to helping people through rough times by offering free meals, employment assistance, medical care, free clothing, and more.

The Senate is expected to take up H.R. 4213 again after the Fourth of July recess.  Once again, we have the opportunity to tell our Senators that we need to take action to promote the common good and help our struggling friends, neighbors, and community members.

Our friends at NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby have an email form here that makes it easy to contact your Senators and ask them to support H.R. 4213.

The U.S. Senate is currently considering a bill that would have a profound effect on unemployed, uninsured, and low-income people nation-wide.  The American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act (H.R. 4213) is now being heard before the Senate.

According to the California Economic Development Department, San Francisco County currently has a 9.6% unemployment rate, with 43,500 people unemployed.  Help support them and other low-income members of our community by contacting our Senators and urging them to support the following items in H.R. 4213:

Our friends at Network: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby have an easy-to-use customizable email form at their website.

A recent article in the Washington Post has brought to light what many of us who are familiar with social services already know: millions of people across the U.S. are having to wait weeks or even months for food assistance.

The recession has contributed to huge caseload increases for the Food Stamp Program:  A record 40 million people currently receive Food Stamps nation-wide.  Administrative delays, bureaucratic red tape, and the overwhelming demand for food assistance have been offered as excuses for the backlog.   But the reality is that hunger can’t wait.  As one Food Stamp applicant stated, “I understand they say government is slow, but people are starving”.

When people can’t access government benefits like Food Stamps, where do they turn?  Anyone familiar with St. Anthony Foundation’s services knows the answer to that question: people turn to community-based emergency food programs like our dining room and our food pantry.   Is it any wonder that our Dining Room has been serving an unprecedented amount of food at the same time that our federally-funded Food Stamp program has seen unprecedented growth?

St. Anthony Foundation doesn’t just provide food for people in need.  We also work with our law makers to try to improve government programs that assist the poor.  Over the past five years that I’ve worked at St. Anthony’s, we’ve advocated to simplify, streamline, and de-stigmatize California’s Food Stamp program.  We’ve also worked hard to help our legislators and community members to understand that Food Stamps are an important part of our local economic recovery.  Food Stamps don’t just assist the poor; they also provide a stimulus for local food sellers as well as a boost to local government coffers.

A hungry community can’t be a strong and healthy community. That’s why we at St. Anthony Foundation provide immediate food assistance through direct services like our Dining Room. That’s also why we advocate for a stronger safety net and for a just society where all people have the chance to flourish.