Your V.O.I.C.E. on Social Justice Issues in Northern Virginia

The Old Presbyterian Meeting House is working with V.O.I.C.E. to create a broad-based, non-partisan, multi-racial, multi-faith, citizens’ organization to advocate for social justice issues affecting the lives of low- and middle income residents in Alexandria and Fairfax, Arlington and Prince William counties. About 40 Northern Virginia congregations have been active in this effort to create V.O.I.C.E. (Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement). This new organization is one of 60 Industrial Areas Foundation affiliates in cities and counties in the US, England, Canada and Germany.

In spring 2008 Meeting House V.O.I.C.E. leaders held five listening sessions to identify issues of special concern to our church members. We shared these concerns with other V.O.I.C.E. congregations to create an action agenda we will pursue together with local government and community leaders.  The Meeting House invites our members to join with V.O.I.C.E. to achieve these social justice changes:

• Affordable housing. Increase affordable housing through dedicated local funding to build and preserve affordable housing. Inventory potential parcels of land that can be used for this purpose.  Advocate for low income units in the North Hill affordable housing redevelopment in the Route 1 corridor.
  
  
• Immigration. Address a severe backlog in citizenship applications for legal immigrants in our area. Increase access to English as a Second Language programs.
  
  
• Access to Health Care and Mental Health. Increase dental services available to low income uninsured citizens of Northern Virginia. 
  

Here is how you can get involved with V.O.I.C.E.

1. Identify social justice issues. If you are concerned about a social justice issue in our community and believe you may have a specific actionable solution that V.O.I.C.E. could pursue through collective action, please share this with our V.O.I.C.E. leaders or the Social Justice Committee.
2. Attend V.O.I.C.E. public actions.  We show our concern by inviting government and community leaders to large convocations of concerned citizens. A church our size needs to turn out more than 50 people per event.  Your V.O.I.C.E. leaders in the Meeting House will let you know when and where you are needed.
3. Become a V.O.I.C.E. leader.  We need volunteer leaders to organize within our church educating people and turning them out for large events. V.O.I.C.E. also needs leaders to do research for the issues teams and to organize our public actions and other meetings.  

For more information or to get involved, contact V.O.I.C.E. leaders Marsha Rhea, Mike Farmer or Rev. Ann Herlin.