| This is a unique time in
history. The door is open to reach the
95 percent (over 12 million households) of single parent families
that do not attend church regularly. One of the major identified
needs of these families is financial training.
Other needs are child care, housing, and transportation.
The only way your church or ministry is going to reach these
families is by providing a point of contact--an outreach ministry
that meets practical needs. The “Charitable
Choice” provision of the welfare reform act has opened
the door for faith-based programs to meet the needs of the
poor. Now the faith community has the same access to federal
funds as any other social service provider.
We at Crown Financial Ministries have developed the training
and tools you need to begin an effective ministry for meeting
the needs of the poor. We have used “best practice”
models that have a history of community ministry as the basis
for these resources. These tools are being endorsed and promoted
by state-level, faith-based liaisons across the country.
The time is now. A large group of people hit their first
five-year, lifetime limit for benefits in August 2001. Many
families are leaving the system and entering the workforce
for the first time.
Is your church ready to receive and help them?
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Although single parent families
are not the only people in need, they are the majority
of people in need.
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Most single mothers earn a little
above poverty level income,
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and 20 percent of single fathers live at the poverty
level. |
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In 1996, when welfare reform was enacted, 87 percent
of the recipients of benefits lived in single parent
households. |
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After leaving welfare, the average
income is about $9,000 per year.
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These families have moved from
welfare dependency to the working poor. |
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