What Happens When We Come Together
April 29, 2024
April 29, 2024
April 25, 2024
April 29, 2024
We’re excited to extend an invitation to all stakeholders interested in addressing housing challenges to join us on May 7 at the Housing Solutions Summit in Washington, D.C. This convening marks a crucial step forward in our collective efforts to tackle housing issues impacting children, youth and families across our communities.
At the summit, participants can expect an engaging dialogue that delves into the core reasons behind our commitment to addressing housing challenges. Through insightful discussions and collaborative sessions, we aim to not only highlight the pressing need for affordable housing but also to explore innovative solutions that can make a meaningful difference in the lives of those we serve.
One of the key highlights of the summit will be the release of the Abt Associates white paper, a comprehensive study that sheds light on the intricate dynamics of housing insecurity and offers actionable insights for policymakers, practitioners and advocates alike. This white paper serves as a cornerstone in our ongoing efforts to drive impactful change in the realm of housing and community development.
Furthermore, we’re thrilled to emphasize our partnership with the ELCA, a collaboration that underscores our shared commitment to social justice and community empowerment. Together, we’re leveraging our strengths to address the multifaceted challenges faced by children, youth and families, with a particular focus on ensuring access to safe, stable housing for all.
Join us as we march forward in our mission to create caring communities where every individual has the opportunity to thrive. Together, let’s harness the power of partnership and innovation to advance health and opportunity for all.
Allie Broxton is Director of Health & Housing at Lutheran Services in America.
April 29, 2024
In March, we were honored to launch our inaugural Lived Voices Fellowship, a new community of people within the Lutheran Services in America or ELCA community who serve in positions of leadership and bring lived expertise. Some fellows have been refugees to the United States. Others have navigated public systems for housing, food assistance and child welfare. Through the fellowship they are healing, expanding their village and growing new skills to affect change. That is where you come in!
We are inviting you to contribute to and learn from one of our 17 amazing fellows by becoming a peer mentor. As a peer mentor, you will be matched with one of the Lived Voices fellows and engage in a powerful series of mutually beneficial conversations to advance your collective leadership.
Peer mentors will engage in three 1-hour conversations with their matched fellow in June, July and September (self-scheduled by fellow and peer mentor).
Ideal peer mentors will meet the following qualifications:
To share your interest in serving as a peer mentor, please fill out the following brief application form.
Kent Mitchell is Vice President of Strategy and Innovation at Lutheran Services in America.
April 26, 2024
View the latest grant opportunities from the federal government.
Opioid-Impacted Family Support Program
Applications will be accepted from state-licensed mental health nonprofits or state-licensed mental health for-profit organizations to provide training in behavioral health. Closing: May 6, 2024.
Anti-Trafficking Housing Assistance Program
The purpose of this Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) program is to develop, expand, and/or strengthen funded organizations so they can provide housing and associated support services to victims of human trafficking. Closing: May 6, 2024.
Cultural and Community Resilience program
This program supports community-based efforts to address the impacts of climate change and COVID-19 by safeguarding cultural resources and fostering cultural resilience through identifying, documenting, and/or collecting cultural heritage and community experiences. Closing May 21, 2024.
ReConnect Loan and Grant Program Round 5
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Rural Development program that furnishes loans and grants to provide funds for the costs of construction, improvement, or acquisition of facilities and equipment needed to provide broadband service in eligible rural areas. Closing May 21, 2024.
FY 2023 Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Program
This program provides Capital Advance funding for the development of supportive rental housing for Very-Low-Income persons aged 62 years or older and project rental subsidies in the form of a Project Rental Assistance Contract (PRAC) to maintain ongoing affordability. Program funding totals $115 million, with an award ceiling of $20 million. Closing: June 20, 2024.
DOL Stand Down Grants
Provides funding for events that offer homeless veteran populations a variety of social services designed to help them to reintegrate into their communities, such as housing, healthcare, and employment opportunities. Closing: Sept. 30, 2024.
USDA Summer Food Service Program
Funding to provide free, nutritious meals and snacks to help children in low-income areas get the nutrition they need during the summer months. Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program (CCP)
The CCP is a short-term disaster relief grant for states, U.S. territories, and federally recognized tribes. CCP grants are awarded after a presidential disaster declaration. CCP funding supports community-based outreach, counseling, and other mental health services to survivors of natural and human-caused disasters. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.
Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants
This program helps eligible communities prepare, or recover from, an emergency that threatens the availability of safe, reliable drinking water. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.
Find more national, regional and federal funding opportunities from our partners at GrantStation Insider and sign up for our weekly GrantStation newsletter.
April 30, 2024
To build on the work of our network to advance housing solutions in communities across the country, Lutheran Services in America is supporting the federal expansion of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC). Provisions in pending legislation represent what would be the largest single investment in affordable housing in decades.
Earlier this year, the House passed with strong bipartisan support the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 (H.R. 7024), which includes key provisions to expand LIHTC. Action has moved to the Senate, and we are asking you to contact your senators and urge them to pass this legislation to better address our nation’s housing crisis by meeting critical, urgent needs that have been under-resourced.
If passed, this bipartisan legislation will expand and strengthen LIHTC by financing the construction or preservation of an estimated 200,000 additional affordable housing units nationwide, generating more than $34 billion in wages and business income, supporting over 304,000 jobs, and generating almost $12 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenue.
We hope you will join us in raising our collective voice on this urgent issue. If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Dobson.
Sarah Dobson is Senior Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at Lutheran Services in America.
January 17, 2024
December 29, 2023
November 9, 2023
September 28, 2023
Our Results Network cohort, a part of our Results Innovation Lab, is a dynamic nine-month learning collaborative that brings together leaders from across the Lutheran Services in America network to explore and innovate new strategies and approaches that will reshape how we engage children and families, with a specific focus on racial justice.
Thanks to a new partnership between Lutheran Services in America and the ELCA, grassroots faith-based ELCA church-led organizations and congregations have joined our 2023–2024 cohort to help us answer the question: “What will it take to stabilize families in their communities, ensuring families remain intact, and children do not enter out-of-home care?”
The Results Network is designed to accelerate innovative approaches, revamp how we engage families in crisis, and create pathways to keep families together, especially children, youth, and families who are over-represented in the child welfare system.
This proven approach has produced tremendous results in past years, and we believe that this year’s cohort will contribute immensely to our efforts, having already reached over 25,000 children and families in our Lab to date.
Organizations that have joined this transformative journey will have the opportunity to:
Throughout the year, participants will create results-driven action plans through a step-by-step process by delving into key themes, incorporating and amplifying lived expertise, and utilizing plain language to engage a wider audience in addressing disparities. They will also examine and pursue opportunities to shift policies, practices, resources, and power structures all aimed at supporting and sustaining equitable outcomes for children, youth, and families. The goal is for each organization to consistently achieve measurable and impactful advancements by increasing equitable access to supports and strengthening community networks through a racial equity lens, advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion as a social norm.
Stay tuned for more information on this incredible journey of impact and transformation.
Renada Johnson is Senior Director of Children, Youth and Family Initiatives at Lutheran Services in America.
100 Maryland Ave. NE, Ste. 500
Washington, DC 20002
800-664-3848
© 2024 Lutheran Services in America, Inc.
