Fern Creek Highview United Ministres

Coming Together to Make a Difference!

From Rev. Ron Loughry, Executive Director of FCHUM

FCHUM Ministries News - Volume 13 Issue 4 - Autumn 2011

As September transitions to October, as Summer gives way to Autumn, I am reminded of the writings from Ecclesiastes, “to everything there is a season”. If you are at all familiar with the mission and work of FCHUM, you know that our seasons of serving seem constant because need is constantly growing. Therefore, we must be constantly vigilant in our planning and in the use of resources entrusted to us to serve our neighbors in need. Our summer of heat and drought is not far behind us and we remember our fatigue. It is also easy for us to experience seasons of compassion-drought or giving-fatigue when we are asked every season to help provide for ever increasing need. It is understandable to tire of hearing this need preached, to tire of opening this newsletter and reading of continued need. I, too, get tired. We must, then, remember to drink deeply of God’s Grace, to remember that each act of mercy and giving, each act of providing food, each act of caring for a frail older adult, each act of equipping children to do better in school, each act preventing homelessness are acts of worship. Read more here.

St. Stephens Church Youth help FCHUM during Metro Brightside Event.

In the news

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First Lady Announces Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week in Kentucky

Press Release Date: Monday, November 09, 2009
Contact Information: Sarah Baird, 502-564-2611

FRANKFORT, Ky.— First Lady Jane Beshear, joined by homeless advocates and other state officials, today announced November 15-21, 2009 as Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week in Kentucky.

“We encourage all Kentuckians to donate food or volunteer their time to a shelter or food bank,” said First Lady Jane Beshear. “With the struggling economy and the winter season just around the corner, there are many families who need help.”

According to the Kentucky Office of Employment and Training, unemployment rates rose in all 120 Kentucky counties between September 2008 and September 2009. Kentucky’s unemployment rate in September was 10.9 percent, almost a full point higher than the national unemployment rate.

“There is a stigma that the homeless do not want to work or that they choose to live on the streets or in a shelter,” said Gerry Roll, Kentucky Interagency Council on Homelessness Vice Chair. “What people do not understand is many homeless individuals do work but they do not make enough to cover their living expenses or they want to work but there simply isn’t any work available.”

Every year, Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC) coordinates the Point-In-Time Count of homeless individuals across the Commonwealth (the 2010 count will take place on Thursday, January 28, 2010). Kentucky’s 2009 Point-In-Time Homeless Count found over half of the homeless individuals who were identified said they did not have housing because they could not afford it. The count also found that almost 6,800 individuals, outside of Jefferson and Fayette Counties, were precariously housed, meaning they were doubled- or tripled-up with family or friends, living in substandard housing conditions, or expecting eviction within seven days. This number, which was a 29 percent increase from the previous year, is concerning because homeless individuals are usually precariously housed before they become homeless.

Kentucky Housing Corporation Chief Executive Officer Richard L. McQuady explained, “Kentucky is unique in that, because much of the state is rural, homeless persons are not as visible as in urban areas where many service providers are located. Because the rural homeless aren’t as noticeable, people think homelessness is not a problem in their communities.”

After the proclamation signing, Mrs. Beshear volunteered at Access Soup Kitchen of Frankfort. The majority of the produce raised in the Governor’s Garden was donated to Access Soup Kitchen.