BUILD update
“Biblical Justice is joyful because it restores healthy relationships, affirming the dignity of all God’s children; heals and makes things right.”
On May 3rd BUILD held the Nehemiah Action Assembly at Central Bank Center with 700 attendees in person & another 400 virtually. St. R’s had 21 in attendance. We received “YES” commitments from officials & leaders who were present, concerning the issues of Violence, Housing & Mental Health.
Violence: Mayoral candidates Kloiber & Wallace pledged to implement GVI (Group Violent Intervention) if elected mayor. Both candidates raised concerns that Lexington needs a proven evidenced based program to help combat homicides, gun violence & the number of children currently in jail.
Housing: Healthy at Home: Councilmembers Brown, Kloiber & Ellinger agreed to identify another source of funding of at least $10 million to affordable housing by October 1st.
Mental Health: Lack of transportation was identified as a major barrier for adults who need to get to mental health appointments for medical treatment. The Chief Clinical Officer from New Vista, Nikki Stanitis, agreed to meet with VIA, a transportation consulting agency, to assess the transportation needs of mental health patients.
Celebration & Investment Drive Kick-off: On June 9th the BUILD community will celebrate our victories. All Justice Ministry Network members are invited to attend. We will also hear what our sacred work has meant & will mean to our at-risk neighbors. We will also have the opportunity to invest in our organization.
Thanks to all who are participating in BUILD this year. Your interest & presence is greatly appreciated.
Diane Whorley
(Excerpts from Judy Maxson, BUILD Corresponding Secretary)
Image: JSlaughter3, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons