ISNA Joins Fighting Poverty with Faith to Call for Affordable Housing

On Thursday, November 15, ISNA National Director Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed joined other leaders from the interfaith coalition Fighting Poverty with Faith for a press conference calling for Affordable Housing.  From November 8 – 18, faith communities across the nation are partnering together as part of this year’s Fighting Poverty with Faith mobilization, “Building Opportunity through Affordable Housing for All.”  Such events include Habitat for Humanity builds, poverty simulations, and documentary screenings. Through these events, people of faith are making a difference in their communities while educating other community members and elected officials about homelessness and the need for affordable housing options . Fighting Poverty with Faith, a nationwide, interfaith movement to cut domestic poverty in half by 2020, utilizes the strength of coordinated faith communities and individuals across the nation to advocate for clear, immediate policy solutions to address the root causes of poverty. This year, FPWF participants called on elected officials to build, preserve, and rehabilitate housing for low income households by fully funding the National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF).  The fund was enacted in 2008 for this purpose, but Congress never approved funding for it.  The Islamic Society of North America calls on Congress to fully fund this program with $1 billion, which would provide affordable homes to over 3.5 million extremely low-income families over the next 10 years. On Thursday, Dr. Syeed stood with other faith leaders in front of SeVerna Apartments in Washington, DC, a new housing complex that provides 60 families with a place where they can afford to live. “When we learn that over 63,000 of our fellow citizens are homeless, and almost 1 out of 5 families with homes spend most of their income only on rent,” said Dr. Syeed, “we have a religious obligation as Muslims do something about it.  We need to work to ensure that our nation provides affordable homes for those who are living in poverty.” You can join us in doing something about it by contacting your U.S. Senator or Representative today and asking him/her to fully fund the National Housing Trust Fund.  The Jewish Council for Public Affairs provides a sample message that you can easily send by following this LINK.  (http://engage.jewishpublicaffairs.org/c/627/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=12116)