OPINION: | Editorials | Letters | CommentaryWednesday, April 21, 2010 |Midlothian, VA 57° Feels Like: 57° OvercastHome > News> Opinion> Op Ed

COMBATING HOMELESSNESS:Congregations Engage in Acts of Compassion

RANDOLPH MARSHALL HOLLERITH RANDOLPH MARSHALL HOLLERITH GUESTCOLUMNISTPublished: July 14, 2009» 0 Comments | Post a Comment[Area Congregations Together in Service] saved my life mentally, physically, and emotionally. I amforever grateful. ACTS enables people to keep their places and is so important to the community. I fullysupport ACTS and now cherish every moment of my life because of what I have been through. --Arecipient of an ACTSgrant In the midst of these excruciating times, many people have been newly thrust into devastating economicsituations. Yet for those among the working poor, economic crisis is not a current event but an ongoingreality. Their needs as basic as food, shelter, andmedical carego unanswered by stimulus packagescreated to first support corporations and massive financial institutions.Faced with the reality of life without a source of income or home or both, these most vulnerable of ourpopulation repeatedly wrestle with intolerable choices: Do I fill this prescription, or do I buy groceries tofeed my family? Do I attend an evening job skillsclass in hopes of finding a job with a living wage, ordo I try to find a second job because my current one doesn't cover my monthly expenses?These families walk an economic tight wire, and one misstep can land them in a financial crisis thatcould cost them their home. Too often, they are on their own. Without a safety net in place, they literallywander the streets, knocking on doors, desperately seeking the assistance that will spare their familyfrom the scourge of homelessness.BUT THERE is hope for many here in the greater Richmond area. Thirty-one area faith congregations,including St. James's Episcopal Church, have partnered to create a ministry called Area CongregationsTogether in Service, or ACTS. ACTS' missionis to provide support and financial resources to hard-

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