The focus area for Boston Faith and Justice in 2025 is Housing Justice. When we chose this issue we were aware of the enormity of the challenges we are seeking to learn about, name, change etc. We have been engaging and learning for a long time about housing insecurity and homelessness generally and especially in MA. This is an injustice which intersects with so many others – racism, climate change, mass-incarceration, wealth-inequality, healthcare, immigration and more.
It is also an issue area that can be examined, understood and engaged with in so many ways such as affordable housing, NIMBYism, homelessness.
We are so thankful for our amazing Housing Insecurity team whose members have been walking in solidarity with unhoused communities for decades and engaging in advocacy for change in Massachusetts’ shelter system and housing policies for just as long. We are taking so much of what we have learned from them into our 2025 focus and plan – and they continue to guide us moving forward.
Throughout the year we will be blogging about what we learn, sharing ways to engage and highlighting the work of those making a difference.
We’ve already begun!
On February 10th we embarked on this journey with a panel discussion on housing justice in MA. It was a rich discussion where participants learned from a variety of experts with knowledge and experience in many different aspects of the challenges of housing in MA including racism housing policies, affordable housing and homelessness. There was so much we touched on but were not able to dive deeply into due to the constraints of time – we will likely hold a second panel to learn more about some of those issues that we could not give full attention to including the impact of environmental injustices, immigration and mass incarceration on housing and homelessness.
This week we began our book group. We are reading When We Walk By: Forgotten Humanity, Broken Systems and the Role We Can Each Play in Ending Homelessness in America.
“A necessary, deeply humanizing read that goes beyond theory and policy analysis to offer engaged solutions with compassion and heart, When We Walk By is a must-read for anyone who cares about homelessness, housing solutions, and their own humanity.”
We are excited to engage with this text in community to learn together and also consider what steps we can take as individuals and collectively to get us a little but closer to a world where everyone has a place to call home.
In April we will be doing a Green Book tour with the amazing Rev June Cooper. This tour will help us contextualize the housing and city landscape of Boston today. Understanding the Green Book's significance through this tour reveals the tangible realities of racial injustice during the Jim Crow era, demonstrating the systemic barriers Black Americans faced. By exploring these historical sites, we gain crucial insight into the enduring legacies of segregation and discrimination, fostering a deeper understanding of contemporary racial inequities and the ongoing need for social change. Information coming soon on how to sign up and join us!
We look forward to podcast conversations with friends and colleagues engaged in housing justice work and to connecting with groups and organizations in Boston and beyond from whom we can learn and shape the ways we move forward with our learning and engagement this year.
Please pray for BFJN and our community this year as we seek to learn and to find the ways we are called to engage ourselves and our resources into creating a more just housing system. And together this year let us remember in our prayers those who are without a home and those who struggle with housing insecurity.
We pray for those who find themselves without a place to call home, without shelter and warmth. Surround them with Your divine protection, keeping them safe from harm and danger. Provide them with the basic necessities of life, such as food, clothing, and a comfortable place to rest.
Father, we acknowledge that many of those experiencing homelessness and housing-insecurity have faced challenges we don’t understand. We ask that You shower them with Your grace and mercy, opening doors of opportunity and providing them with the help they need to rebuild their lives.
Lastly, inspire us to be instruments of Your love and compassion, Lord. Show us how we can make a difference in the lives of the homeless. Lead us to local agencies and organizations where we can offer our time, talents, and resources to provide comfort and support to those in need.
(adapted from young-Catholics prayer)