Innovation in Effective Compassion Home > Background of the FBCI > Key Reports > State Strategies

---

Preface

In January 2007, the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives launched a series of monthly Compassion in Action Roundtable meetings to highlight organizations, programs, and policies addressing critical social needs.  The Roundtables convene and facilitate discussion among policymakers, government officials, philanthropists, and faith-based and community service providers around targeted issues. 

The events reveal the President’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative as a broad-based, community-centered reform agenda; showcase innovative projects and promising practices; and draw attention to government efforts to expand and support the work of faith-based and community organizations actively engaged in serving their neighbors and communities.

The following report offers an overview of the June 26, 2007, Compassion in Action Roundtable, entitled State Strategies. Please note the statistical information presented throughout the report reflects data available up to the time of Roundtable, and excludes any data collected after June 2007.

Introduction
Keynote Address
State Showcase
  Moderator: Chris Bugbee, Director of Programs, Policy and Public Affairs One Star Foundation
  Panelist: Suzanne Yack, Director, Florida Faith-Based and Community-Based Advisory Council Volunteer Florida Foundation
  Panelist: Nancy Pope, Faith-Based and Community Liaison - Office of the Governor, New Mexico
  Panelist: Andrea Phillips, Executive Vice President - Seedco
Researcher’s Question and Answer Panel: Perspectives on State and Local Innovation
Local and Regional Showcase
  Panelist: Peter Elliot, U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Ohio - Fugitive Safe Surrender, Cleveland, Ohio
  Panelist: James G. Sahaida, Employment and Training Specialist, St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment, St. Louis
  Panelist: Mike Robinson, Stewardship Pastor - Fellowship Bible Church, Little Rock

Appendix A: Federal Efforts to Promote State and Local Strategies
Appendix B: Biographies
Appendix C: Roundtable Agenda
Appendix D: Snapshots of State and Local FBCI Efforts

Introduction

The President’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative (FBCI) has produced deep change in the Federal Government’s approach to social services.  Both funded and non-financial opportunities for faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) to partner with the government in service have been greatly expanded.  A “level playing field” has largely been secured to allow the full participation of faith-based organizations in efforts to aid individuals in need. In addition, innovative programs and pilot projects are tapping into the unique strengths of FBCOs to address issues that range from prisoner reentry to drug addiction.

In State and local governments across America, the same quiet transformation is taking place.  To date, 33 governors and more than 100 mayors have Faith-Based and Community Initiative offices or liaisons located within the governor’s or mayor’s office, State agencies, or nonprofit organizations. A variety of administrative models have been used to implement the Initiative, but even in States without formal FBCI structures, leaders are advancing FBCI strategies to reform policy, launch new programs, and train nonprofit organizations to better solve social problems within their communities. In short, the FBCI is growing in all 50 States. Moreover, State and local officials and administrators are increasingly creating their own innovative efforts to draw upon the distinctive capabilities of FBCOs. These efforts are enhancing services to those in need, enriching community life, boosting the effectiveness of government, and providing life-changing aid to many who might otherwise have fallen through the cracks.

In a number of States, including Alabama and Indiana, the operations of the Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives and the Governor’s Commission on Volunteerism have been combined to leverage their respective resources for an even greater impact. Working in partnership with urban and rural FBCOs, the Alabama’s Office has concentrated much of its efforts on strengthening the State’s ability to respond to emergencies. In the aftermath of Katrina, the Office created the Alabama Interfaith Disaster Network which engages small, often rural, faith-based organizations as partners poised to respond to future disasters from a position of preparedness. Indiana’s Office has focused many of its resources to help secure a brighter future for youth. In January 2008, it will launch a US Dream Academy program at a middle school in Indianapolis to provide mentors to students with incarcerated parents. Volunteers to support this effort will be drawn from neighboring faith-based and community organizations.

Other States, like Florida and Texas, have created separate nonprofit foundations to spearhead those operations and other related initiatives. The Volunteer Florida Foundation has extensive partnerships with a broad network of providers, including numerous FBCOs, for disaster relief, recovery, and prevention efforts.  Texas’ OneStar Foundation is making a meaningful investment in building the capacity of FBCOs to respond to their neighbors in need. Both organizations operate effective and extensive literacy and mentoring programs as well.

In Virginia, Alaska, Hawaii, Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming, the operations of each statewide office is located within the agency that best reflects that State’s policy priorities, including efforts to strengthen families, reduce homelessness and increase affordable housing, and serve at-risk youth.

In Arizona, Arkansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico, and Ohio, the statewide office is a part of the Governor’s Office and reflects his or her priorities to include education, health care, workforce development, economic development, substance abuse, emergency preparedness, prisoner reentry, support for veterans and their families, hunger, and rural poverty.

Even in States and cities where there are no State or city liaisons, effective partnerships are flourishing. Missouri is home to effective prisoner reentry, workforce development, and substance abuse partnerships. In Little Rock, Arkansas and Lake County, Illinois, a wide range of faith-based organizations have partnered to organize significant efforts to engage volunteers to build better neighborhoods and strengthen families.

Governments at every level are taking measures to more effectively serve those in need. Through innovative partnership with FBCOs, the FBCI vision continues to expand in States, cities, and local communities all across the country. New offices of faith-based and community initiatives are being formed. Innovative programs are being launched, new partnerships have been forged, and successful programs are being replicated. And most importantly, lives are being changed for the better, which is what the Faith-Based and Community Initiative is ultimately all about.

Keynote Address

Jay Hein, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director
White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

“Now is an exciting time for the Initiative, and it is a privilege for us to gather at the White House – the people’s house. Every day when we come inside these gates there is a sense of awe and stewardship because it is a big deal to be tasked with decisions that impact others’ lives. It is a great privilege to welcome you to the White House and then to hand the microphone to you, the real leaders of this Initiative, the citizens and community leaders who fulfill the promise of our democracy for the disenfranchised, the socially excluded, the down-and-out who are equal in God’s eyes to every one of us. 

President Bush crafted this Initiative as a determined attack on need, asking, ‘How can government form partnerships with every willing partner, whether they are faith-based or secular, large or small?’  We have many ‘willing partners’ represented here today, and it will be a delight to trade ideas with you, and to share some of the progress we have achieved thanks to your good efforts. We also want to talk about how we will broaden the Initiative by engaging locally within each of your communities.

We look forward to hearing from the many State-level faith-based and community liaison offices present today. You have the opportunity and the privilege to serve the servants, as you share both geographic space and mission interests with the nonprofits of your state. We convene the Compassion in Action Roundtable Series once a month with leaders from different spheres. Today, the topic is the form of the Faith-Based and Community Initiative (FBCI) in States and localities. We will consider growth and sustainability, multiplication and leverage through information sharing, networking, and facilitating a smarter national and state-based conversation.

Part of the genius of the Initiative is that it represents not just another White House program, but one of a handful of issues that the President of the United States chose to champion during his Administration. Beyond the White House, the President has established by Executive Order a Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives within 11 Federal agencies. In addition to the Corporation for National Community Service, each agency is hard at work within their program space on behalf of our nonprofit sector partners. These agencies are main building blocks of the Initiative, creating a portal for faith-based and community liaisons to discuss issues such as at-risk youth programs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, affordable housing programs at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or disaster response programs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. 

Liaison activity is growing in States and cities, independently of White House orders. State and local leaders are saying, ‘As an elected official, I need someone to help me think through these questions. How can I grow nonprofit sector partnerships?’ Today, 33 State governors have a liaison office, several of which have survived election cycles and changing political parties while retaining a focus on the significance of the Initiative. In addition, we estimate 150 mayoral liaisons in the 50 States, plus Puerto Rico. Though these liaisons take different forms, they represent the size and effectiveness of the Initiative. The challenge now is to ask, ‘What do we want to do? What does success look like in motion?  What forms does the Initiative take in State and local areas?’ 

Within the White House, we have studied the growth and innovation on the State and local level, and have synthesized the activity into four general categories of innovation: Policy Reform, Program Innovation, Capacity Building, and Public/Private Strategies.

Policy Reform has received much attention, and is exemplified by the Charitable Choice Act. Originally part of the welfare law, this type of policy reform exists in all 50 States. In addition, the liaison offices themselves also contribute to policy reform as they work within their agencies and partnerships to change the government environment and enhance relationships with the nonprofit sector.  Policy reform is an ongoing, expanding story, and as we continue to see both the successes and barriers that liaisons face in this area, we will think through growth strategies together.   

Program Innovation refers to testing of new ideas, much like our Roundtable themes. Prisoner reentry, disaster response, and foster care are examples of a number of key program areas that in the past have been a burden for public officials and a source of problems and distress for your neighbors. However, States and communities are innovating new strategies in these areas, and we are testing new ways to efficiently use public resources in a more dynamic way. 

Capacity Building involves government training and technical assistance. Capacity building focuses not on a new law or policy or spending money in a different way, but on government agencies providing nonprofits with tools to facilitate networking and enable growth and sustainability.

Public/Private Strategies is a robust concept that includes volunteerism, philanthropy, and other forms of non-financial assistance offered by government or communities. Much innovation takes place completely outside the government sphere, and we need to be humble enough as government officials to recognize and appreciate the huge public value of private, non-governmental innovation.

As a summary statement, these four themes represent a huge amount of activity all over our nation. Some States are particularly strong in one or two of these areas, while some have different strengths. However, we contend that rather than striving to accomplish all four strategies in equal measure, your State is most effective when you respond to the particular needs of your community, and follow the contours of your political leadership, and your particular strengths and capabilities.

Other valuable contributions on this level are the White House Conferences on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, which have trained about 30,000 individuals, nonprofit leaders and State and local officials. In addition, approximately 70,000 nonprofit leaders have benefited from regional workshop training, grant writing training, or program training through our 11 agencies and in all 50 States.  

Americans approach problems in a unique way, achieving solutions through the private and nonprofit sector. The fiscal impact of the 1.5 million nonprofits within the United States is equal to the sixth largest economy in the world.  This massive economic presence proves that the government and nonprofit sectors must work together to enable problem-solving.  For you that represent Faith-Based and Community Initiative offices, of course it’s natural for you to reach out locally to the same, to the volunteerism shop, the State commission, and other forms of volunteer management structures that exist in your State.  We promote that aggressively. 

The President has been personally active in the Initiative as well. When a President of the United States visits an inner city faith-based organization or nonprofit, puts his arm around that nonprofit leader and says, ‘You have public value. As President of the United States, I want to thank you for what you do,’ the impact is enormous. It changes culture. Many nonprofit leaders have thanked me on behalf of the president, saying, ‘I used to be ignored and under-appreciated.  Now I’m understood and often appreciated.’ This reflects the bent of the national conversation and the new language for our work. Faith-based charities have achieved a level of national importance, and are often inserted into conversations at programs and conventions. The secret behind this political energy is that the President is truly inspired by the principles behind the Initiative. It enlarges his heart because he knows, and he often reminds us, that America is not great because of military might or a strong economy but, but because of the goodness of our people.”

State Showcase

Moderator: Chris Bugbee, Director of Programs, Policy and Public Affairs, One Star Foundation

OneStar Foundation is a private non­profit corporation designated by the Governor of Texas to strengthen the capacity of the social sector. Chris Bugbee, director of Programs, Policy and Public Affairs for OneStar, explained, “Every program that we have we consider a pathway to capacity, whether it is AmeriCorps, whether it is capacity building, training, technical assistance…we ask the question, ‘How does this build the capacity of the sector…if it is policy reform, program innovation…how does this ultimately strengthen the sector?’” By identifying, connecting, and equipping people, organizations, and government with resources and information necessary to more effectively respond to the needs of others, OneStar is able to strengthen the organizational capacity of nonprofits and contribute to their long-term sustainability—ultimately improving the overall health of the sector and its ability to provide critical ser­vices throughout Texas.

OneStar serves as a clearinghouse for FBCOs to ensure that resources and services are made available to those most in need. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Bugbee said poor communication among disaster responders led to a level of disconnect that impaired the delivery of services. Bugbee explained, “We had a ton of people, nonprofits and faith-based organizations that wanted to help…but didn’t know where to go; where to turn; where they [could get] connected. They didn’t know their local emergency management folks. They had beds and cots and food but they didn’t have those connections. And so we see that as our mission. Not just in times of disaster but really to help them get their job done every day.”

One effort focused on everyday needs is OneStar’s Wagner Peyser Project, which is designed to strengthen Texas’ workforce development system. OneStar collaborated with the Texas Workforce Commission to facilitate partnerships between FBCOs and local workforce centers. FBCOs are natu­ral community centers where many seek help, including job placement and training, and from whom many em­ployers often seek referrals. Investing in the capacity of FBCOs and facilitating partnerships between these organi­zations and local workforce centers creates a stronger and more sustainable workforce development system that is better connected to the communities it serves.

With funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Compassion Capital Fund (CCF), which was created in 2002 as part of the FBCI to help FBCOs increase their effectiveness and enhance their ability to provide social services by building their organizational capacity, the project has brought strategic training, coaching, and networking opportunities to participating FBCOs. CCF works through intermediary organizations, such as OneStar, that serve as a bridge between the Federal government and FBCOs.

Panelist: Suzanne Yack, Director, Florida Faith-Based and Community-Based Advisory Council Volunteer Florida Foundation

Suzanne Yack is the director of the Florida Faith-Based and Community-Based Advisory Council within the Volunteer Florida Foundation (VFF), a 501 (c)(3) organization. According to Yack, VFF “is essentially where the Faith-Based Initiative is housed…We worked very hard to put our Foundation in statute. We are permanent in statue…and also our Faith-Based Initiative is now in statute, which we are very proud of.” VFF has engaged tens of thousands of volunteers in disaster relief, recovery, and prevention efforts over the past few years. In 2004-2005, the VFF provided grants to more than 300 nonprofit organizations who in turn utilized thousands of volunteers from FBCOs in long-term hurricane recovery work.

During this period, VFF launched an innovative virtual warehouse called “Neighbors to the Rescue” to effectively manage donated goods with storm survivors in need. The program encourages people to register their offered donations or services and hold them at their present locations until a suitable direct match can be located by a “Neighbors to the Rescue” volunteer. The virtual warehouse allows affiliated organizations to keep track of goods and services that people are willing to donate to fami­lies recovering from a catastrophe. It also allows the trucking community to donate excess cargo capacity for the transport of materials needed for recovery.

VFF has also engaged volunteers in My Safe Florida Home, a program designed to strengthen the homes of low-income families in communities at risk of future hurricane damage. Yack explained that the program allocates most of the funding, “directly to grants to home owners, who want to strengthen their homes,” by improving shutters, hurricane doors, hurricane garage doors, strengthening gable ends, and securing roofs. Funding reserved for low-income home owners is administered by VFF through sub-grants to several nonprofit and faith-based groups around the state.

A key goal of the VFF Council is to identify improper State barriers to FBCO participation in government social service programs. One barrier identified is the inability of nonprofits to access grant notifications. There was no central location for nonprofits to learn about all of the State’s funding opportunities. In response, VFF asked State agency heads to streamline the grant/contract notification process by requiring all funding for services flow through an online vendor bidding system called MyFlorida Marketplace. In July 2006, acting on the recommendation, VFF met with officials from MyFlorida Marketplace to learn more about the opportunities for there to be a centralized location for nonprofits to research and find available fiscal and non-fiscal opportunities. In October 2006, MyFlorida Marketplace unveiled a web portal of their vendor bidding system specifically designed to house grant and contract opportunities for Florida nonprofits.

Panelist: Nancy Pope, Faith-Based and Community Liaison, Office of the Governor, New Mexico

According to the most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data, New Mexico leads the nation in hunger, with one in six New Mexicans now knowing where they will find their next meal. Nancy Pope, faith-based and community liaison in the Office of the Governor, said the reason so many New Mexicans are affected by hunger is “a combination of two things. One is that we have very high poverty in New Mexico – we are the third or fourth worst in the nation.  But we’re also a very rural state – 32 of our 33 counties are rural.  So what that means for a lot of New Mexicans is there is USDA food available but…we can’t get the food to the people or the people to the food.  We have one food outlet in every 486 square miles in New Mexico.  So some people are traveling an hour and a half to buy an $8 gallon of milk.  So it, just on every level, is the most devastating issue in New Mexico, and my Office and others in the state are trying to tackle it through Governor Richardson because it is theworst issue that we have to face in the state.”

The Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives partnered with the New Mexico Task Force to End Hunger, which is a private and public collaboration comprised of 23 individuals all focused on ending hunger in New Mexico. The Task Force has adopted “The 2010 End Hunger New Mexico Plan,” with the overarching goal to move New Mexico’s national ranking from first place to fifth place in food insecurity over the next few years. This effort would help 35,000 New Mexicans, and aims to eliminate childhood hunger in New Mexico, provide adequate food for New Mexico Seniors, increase access to food in rural and underserved communities, achieve full participation in public food assistance programs, and raise awareness of hunger in New Mexico.

Support for the 2010 Plan has been strong among the private sector. Pope explained, “We could not have gotten even to where we are in writing the 2010 Plan to end hunger in New Mexico without private partnership.” The PNM Resources Foundation, which is a utility company in New Mexico, The McCune Foundation, and the Albuquerque Community Foundation have each pledged $300,000 for the 2010 Plan. Monies from the private sector will be used for transportation, summer pro­gramming supporting USDA summer food sites, providing a backpack filled with food for each child over each weekend, paying summer food service workers, and outreach materials. PNM is on target to raise an additional $1 million for the 2010 Plan from the private sector. Twenty-six private and public sector entities have come together to discuss resources, commu­nications, policy, and training needs to successfully accomplish the 2010 Plan.

The first action for the 2010 Plan is to establish three pilot program sites for the summer months, when hunger is especially an issue in New Mexico. Pope described how one of the pilot programs got started. She explained, “In Ruidoso Downs…we had a community meeting down there when we thought we would kick this off, and we got the mayor involved and the Lions Club and the WalMart gave us potting soil and plants and wheelbarrows and PNM Resources paid for the programming.  So we bring 80 children in five days a week between 8 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., give them USDA free breakfast and lunch, PNM Resources pays for the programming which is $17,000 for the 9 weeks over the summer, and they also paid for backpacks that go home every Friday afternoon which each child filled with food.” The program is held at the First Baptist Church which is easily accessible to the children participating in the program, as well as the twenty senior citizen volunteers from the Senior Center who will help the children plant community gardens by the church.

In addition to its efforts fighting hunger, the New Mexico Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives has implemented a variety of initiatives designed to help FBCOs build capacity and compete for government funding. Since the Office was established in 2005, is has developed a database of more than 1600 FBCOs in order to provide more timely communication of Federal grant opportunities; presented “Accessing Federal Funds” training to 340 FBCOs in partnership with six Federal Agencies; and directly supported 70 FBCOs with capacity-building services to assist them with applications for Federal funding.

Panelist: Andrea Phillips, Executive Vice President, Seedco

Seedco is a national nonprofit organi­zation that works with local partners to create economic opportunities for disadvantaged job seekers, workers, and neighborhood entrepreneurs.  The organization provides and enhances a wide range of government-funded efforts, particularly in areas related to workforce development.  

EarnFair Allianceis Seedco’s innovative initia­tive for delivering government funded workforce development and human services through an FBCO network model. Andrea Phillips, executive vice president of Seedco, said FBCOs are vital partners because “they really understand the communities they are located in. They know the needs, the very particular needs where we work in Manhattan.” EarnFair Alliance has operated for 10 years in New York City, which Phillips described as “one of the more complicated localities to work in.” Phillips explained, “The Dominican community that lives in Upper Manhattan is very different than the primarily Puerto Rican community that lives in Brooklyn.  You need to understand those differences and the way to do that, we really believe, is by being from that community.” FBCOs also provide a range of comprehensive support services that help individuals find and retain employment. Phillips noted, “When you think about workforce development, it’s not just about placing someone in a job. It’s not just about skills training.  It’s often times about the other barriers that people face. It’s about access to affordable childcare that’s safe.  It’s about, often times, domestic violence issues, housing issues. When you partner with organizations that are in these communities, what we found is they often times offer those services as well, and if they don’t offer it, they know another organization that does.  In effect, what you’re able to do is get much more for the resources that you have and leverage all those other important resources that are in the community.”

States and localities historically contract with large scale social service providers because they have the resources to manage performance-based contracts. Phillips explained that FBCOs “don’t have the capacity to take on financial risks or the cash flow risk associated with performance-based contracts.  Said most simply, a performance-based contract means that you do the work now and you are paid later.  So that means that you don’t have the money necessarily to operate. For a faith- or community-based organization, for the most part they lack the capital to operate in that environment.” Phillips added that the other issue affecting FBCOs’ ability to manage large contracts has to do with infrastructure. “Again, to operate at the scale that State and local governments want to operate at or need to operate at you need to be able to serve, often times, a citywide audience,” Phillips said, adding, “By definition, both faith-based and community-based organizations need to target their neighborhood, their community, and in workforce development you also need to forge regional partnerships with educational institutions, with employers, and those entities don’t want to talk to someone from one neighborhood.  What they want to do is talk to someone who can represent the region, the city.”

To engage FBCOs in workforce development efforts, Seedco created “a hub and spoke partnership” through EarnFair Alliance.  As a result, Philipps said Seedco has enabled FBCOs “to really do what they do best, which is providing those front line direct services. It’s about intake. It’s about assessment. It’s about the soft skills training. It’s about case management.  It’s about retention and post-placement services.  All of those very, very critical wraparound services that we know those organizations can provide very well.” For its part, Seedco is responsible for raising the money, overseeing contract and financial management, including the cash flow and the risk management.  Seedco builds partnerships with the regional entities, knitting together a citywide network in which Seedco can match employers with potential employees through the FBCO network.

In 2002, Seedco’s contract with the New York Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program was renewed and Seedco leveraged other performance-based contracts to sustain and grow its unique EarnFair model. In 2004, Seedco added a new component to EarnFair: the operation of a Federally-funded One-Stop Center. Seedco was awarded a contract to operate the Manhattan-based One-Stop Center and has implemented this program, in part, by subcontracting with the FBCO network to provide services at the Center and in the community that have the effect of improving the One-Stop’s performance around job placement, retention, wage gain, and other One-Stop measures.

Last year, Seedco received another 3-year renewal contract for Welfare-to-Work services from the local New York City TANF agency for $18 million over 3 years and has since expanded the network to 16 FBCO partners.

This year, the EarnFair New York City network will place more than 5,000 individuals into jobs, with the average starting wage at or above $9.50 an hour. Phillips added, “Perhaps the statistic we’re most proud of is of all the folks providing workforce services in New York City, we have the lowest public assistance recidivism rate.”

In 2007, Seedco was awarded a 5-year $116 million performance-based contract from the Tennessee Department of Human Services to provide Welfare-to-Work services for the entire city of Memphis, using the EarnFair model, which will initially include a network of four FBCOs.

Researcher’s Question and Answer Panel: Perspectives on State and Local Innovation

Moderator: Jay F. Hein, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director, White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

Panelist: Byron Johnson, Co-Director of Institute for Studies of Religion, Baylor University

Panelist: David J. Wright, Director, Urban and Metropolitan Studies and Associate Director, The Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy

Jay Hein:

Why does it matter what we are talking about today, that the policy, the program, and innovation that we have heard from the first panel about… why does it matter that this work is happening in the states? Is it just a random set of stories or is there something that represents more of a critical mass that we should be paying attention to?

David Wright:

Well, the challenge to each of us from most of this information is to try to assess how much of this are isolated dots and anecdotal stories or how much they are really part of a larger mosaic. But for all the attention that has been given, certainly lots of attention in the public media to the Faith-Based Initiative in Washington as a major effort of the Bush Administration, the clear fact is that the arms and legs of what happens, even directly with Federally-funded social services, really happens at the State and the local level.  That is where the vast majority of social services are delivered… even those services that are financed Federally; that is where contracts and grants for most social service work, most direct care for people in need, happens. I feel rather silly saying that to a room full of people who do this on a daily basis, but in direct answer to your question, that is why it matters most.  For those of us who try to study this for a living, it matters a huge degree because in the search for trying to improve the delivery of public services, one also always has to be open to the possibility for new partners, doing things in a different and a more effective way and that is the primary reason why this matters to us.

Jay Hein:

Byron, You’ve studied the faith factor, in your field, particularly in criminology, why does the faith factor matter in the delivery of social services and in the nonprofit sector, more generally, or does it?

Byron Johnson:

It does. It does matter.  I’ve reviewed a lot of studies, as Jay knows, examining the role of faith especially in the field of crime and delinquency, and we’ve found that it is a robust variable that makes a difference.  In a field like criminology what you’re always trying to do is to see how we can improve even if it’s just a slight improvement over what we are already doing, so a number of other people have joined in this course of trying to study whether faith makes a difference and the neat thing is we have been able to demonstrate that it does make a difference in a lot of the research that we have done. The more difficult task is to try and study what people like you are doing and the others that we have already heard about today. It is very easy to get data from different data sources and write articles, but it is very difficult to capture what you have heard up here today in any meaningful way. I did one study, as you know Jay, on a faith-based prison, that was a 7-year enterprise. And when I started that project, I had a head full of hair. Studying what you do is a very difficult thing to do, it is not just like getting a CD and analyzing some data – it requires a lot of fieldwork and, it is not clean, it is not easy.  The one thing that I’m hopeful that we can begin to do is to attract other researchers who are willing to lose a lot of hair as well, to begin to do the hard work of doing empirical analyses, behind these incredible stories that you hear today, that you have heard every month when you do one of these Roundtables. It really is a labor of love that we have to be really committed to.

I wrote an article, I’ll just throw this out there, about 2 months ago about religion and the death penalty.  The interesting thing is a colleague and I wrote this article in 3 weeks and it is going to come out in the number one journal in the field, but that was data that was already there from a longitudinal study, it was so easy to do and one can spend one’s time just cranking those out.  But it really doesn’t have a lot of bearing on the kind of work that you do that makes the difference everyday in the lives of people and that is where you have to be willing to say, you know, I’m not going to crank out these five articles and build up my resume, instead I’m going to try and get a couple other people to help me to go out to the field and see if we can look at some of these anecdotes to see if there is more than just an anecdote there.

Jay Hein:  

Byron, is there something that organizations can do, in the direct provision of services in the operations of their agencies that could somehow, if not too cumbersome for their organizations, that could somehow create data that could be made more collective and ultimately used by a  trained social scientist to become that much more persuasive?

Byron Johnson:  

This is an important question. I know David will want to weigh in on this one too. How can we be more intentional as researchers to connect with people like you, so we make ourselves available and help you so that when you are doing-- a lot of groups think that they’re already doing evaluation research, but they’re really not doing evaluation research, but it wouldn’t take rocket science for people to come alongside them to tweak what they’re doing, so that we would have data that we could actually analyze. I remember, the first time I worked with Prison Fellowship [PF] they told me they had all this data, they said come work with us we have plenty of data…so when I flew to Washington and when I got there,  they introduced me to a file cabinet. This is your data? I was kind of excited. There were letters, they had received letters from people who had been to their programs and I said so what else do you have, do you know how many people went through your program, do you know anything about the people, and it was just these letters. And you know… they felt like this was data. I think that is an example of the disconnect that exists between people like us and people that are in the field. I think it can be remedied over time.

David Wright:

I guess I would answer that in two ways. I think your question was about what organizations might do but I would also like to talk about what we academic researchers might try to improve on. We tend to speak in terms of metaphysical certitude. There is an expectation of a level of proof, that seems to be needed for whether faith organizations do what they do in ways that are more effective that is not applied, at least from my experience, to almost any other form of social service that is delivered. So I personally find that intriguing, but be that as it may. As far as what service organizations might do, I guess I would suggest two main things: be as clear as you can be as to what it is you do and why. You know that better than anybody else. So you need to know the design that you are intending to implement, how it is supposed to work, why B follows A and how C follows B, and what you expect to happen and do everything you can to measure each intermediate step and what is going to result. That would be the first thing. That sounds very mechanistic but just try to think through…what you expect to happen.  The second thing I would say on that score…gets back to anecdotes. I would not undercount anecdotes, they are real stories – and no one can tell your story better than you can tell your story – and in those stories there is a power: it is testimony.  And they can be moving in ways that academic research can never be. So in the best of all worlds we will be able to do both those things, but we won’t get the academic research unless you all are real clear about what it is you are intending to do and how it is supposed to work so that people like us can try to count.

Jay Hein:

We’re paying a high premium on research. We know that this is an initiative that has two years left but it is also an initiative that has 6 years in. We have created a lot of action and there is a lot of innovation as we are talking about today. There is not a lot of understanding – so we are holding a research conference next summer so we can understand leading priorities and interventions that we have deployed or you are leading.  We will talk about outcomes, progress, the shape, considering basic questions, what do we know and what don’t we know and what do we need to do as a field? It was not intended by the President that he would create a research industry, [but] a research industry has been created. There is much more studying. We are putting more attention on these matters [and] that is a good thing for those of us in the human services field, but it is not well organized and it is hard to centralize that. But we are in a position to be able to organize some of that information, so we are going to be partnering with leaders such as David and Byron and you’ll find out…that if we organize our data and our stories, and if we present provocative questions and interesting insights to the people that you serve, researchers will come into our space if they can do business with us; meaning, if there is data to work with and if there is a partnership willing to work with researchers. We could really move this to another level of understanding collectively if we engage the best and brightest that care so much about how you do what you do and what you achieve by the way of your services. I’m going to ask each one of them a concluding question and then I will turn to our next panel.

David, could you step back and take a wider angle view about the work that you do and maybe explain a bit about the Roundtable and mention some of the products or services that you have and how these groups could benefit from them?

David Wright:

The Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy is based on the Rockefeller Institute, which is the public policy research institute of the State University of New York. The purpose of the Roundtable is several fold, our job is to act as sort of a nonpartisan, mutual, independent analysis, research and news on faith-based partnerships with governments. We track policy developments in Washington and across the 50 states. We track developments in the law with our partners Chip Lupu and Bob Tuttle with George Washington Law School. We have a stream of research that tries to thoroughly describe the scope of social services that are delivered by faith-based groups in the country and we have a stream of research that focuses on the question of effectiveness. We have done comparative case studies, detailing some of the theory of why faith-related services are distinct and what ways they are distinct. We have designed several studies, [with a] very major one underway, that tried to separate out the faith factor as a particular influence on how well services are delivered by faith groups compared to their secular counterparts.  We make a point trying to provide resources, [and] all of our publications are available online at www.religionandsocialpolicy.org. 

Jay Hein:

Byron, can you give us a capstone on the type of research you have done. As I mentioned earlier, and you have alluded to, you have done a lot in the criminal space. You have also done some literature reviews and scans of the field. Could you assess some of that?

Byron Johnson:

Yes. I have done a lot of work in crime and delinquency and some work in recidivism. I have done several studies of Prison Fellowship and the impact of their programs, on inmate recidivism rates, and I have done meta-analysis, where you review a large block of studies where you look to see if you can summarize briefly so you don’t bore people half to death by reading all of this stuff themselves. I am updating one that I did about 3 years ago, called Objective Hope, that summarizes the literature on the effectiveness of faith-based organizations. I am hoping to have that ready in the next month or so. But our website is www.isreligion.org. It stands for Institute for Studies of Religion. You can go there. We have other kinds of things that are related to what you do…. One of our newest projects… is a series of five or six empirical studies for juvenile justice on the role of religion and pro-social youth development. So instead of looking at what puts kids at risk, we are looking at what helps kids stay on a right track. There is so much on how we can predicate if kids are going to go to prison, we want to look at it in a more positive light; so that is cool and a very exciting project that we are about halfway into for juvenile justice. You will find other projects there too that may be of interest to you. And I am thinking about going back and doing another follow up on the faith-based prison project, about 4 years have passed since we released that one.

Jay Hein:

Improvement in the research field does need to go both ways. We do need to figure out better ways for nonprofit organizations to collect date and make it available so that researchers can be more a part of your space. And I will say this as a researcher as well; the research community needs to become more accessible, as well. So that when they do such terrific scientific and empirical work, which we need, we need that when we interface with Congress and others to change systems, it also should be for the benefit of practitioners so they can benefit. We have two of the finest that get that and make their work accessible. We will be working collectively to try to have an impact on the field so that maybe we can create a research environment that becomes a tool for you and actually an information source so that you can maybe manage differently and better in your own operations.

Local and Regional Showcase

Panelist: Peter Elliot, U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Ohio, Fugitive Safe Surrender, Cleveland, Ohio

In 2004, Peter J. Elliott, United States Marshal for the Northern District of Ohio, came up with an idea to structure a faith-based project that encouraged individuals with misdemeanor or non-violent felony warrants to voluntarily surrender to the law. The program he helped develop is called Fugitive Safe Surrender, which reduces the risk faced by law enforcement officers who pursue fugitives, the neighborhoods in which they hide, and the fugitives themselves. Elliott explained, “I have been in law enforcement for 22 years and, unfortunately, I have seen some of my friends who have died at the hands of fugitives and desperate people, and we have seen innocent bystanders that have been killed by fugitives on the run. Desperate people commit desperate acts with tragic consequences. Fugitive Safe Surrender takes some of that desperateness out of the equation.”

The first Fugitive Safe Surrender project was held at Mount Sinai Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio in 2005. Elliott put together a coalition of faith-based, judicial, law enforcement, nonprofit, and media leaders to promote and implement the project. Officials from the court system, sheriffs, prosecuting at­torneys, public defenders, and others collaborated to technologically outfit, staff, and open a community courthouse in the church. During the program’s 4-day operation, 842 individuals surrendered, including 324 individuals who were wanted for felony crimes. Non-violent felons were given bond, new court dates, and released directly from the church, while those wanted for violent crimes, or those with violent records, were safely taken into custody. Elliott explained that those with violent records “knew they were going to jail and they went to jail. But they wanted to get it off their conscience [and] they were tired of running.”

Elliott said he decided to hold the event in a church because the church is the “institution that I trusted the most in my life…[and] is the place in my life I find the most comfort. And I find that the majority of people were no more different than…I was.” Elliott explained that having ministers serve as spokespeople for the program allowed them to reach out to the community and say “surrender to me, and take your first step toward a second chance in life.”  

A study conducted by Kent State University surveyed Fugitive Safe Surrender participants as they entered the doors of the church. The study found that of the roughly 3,000 fugitives who have voluntarily surrendered, 80 percent said they did so because they were surrendering in a church. Elliott explained, “The most important part of this program, without question, is the church.” The program is promoted on television about 2 weeks before the event takes place through a public announcement campaign usually involving a minister or, in some cases, a local celebrity. Elliott said the minister is “the most important person in the program,” because they have established a level of trust within the community. He explained, “If fugitives would surrender to the police department and the sheriff’s department, we wouldn’t have to do this program. But they don’t trust us.  [W]ho do they trust?  The church.”

Fugitive Safe Surrender is managed by the United States Marshals Service as a community reentry program that also includes job placement services for wanted non-violent offenders. The program was replicated by the Marshals Ser­vice in Phoenix, AZ, where 1,400 fugitives surrendered, and Indianapolis, IN, where 571 fugitives surrendered. In July 2006, Fugitive Safe Surrender was authorized by Congress, andis believed to be the first program of its kind in the nation. In the months and years ahead, the Marshals Service plans to conduct Fugitive Safe Surrenderprograms, similar to the successful Cleveland initiative, in 18 additional cities.

Panelist: James G. Sahaida, Employment and Training Specialist, St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment, St. Louis

The St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE) Career Center is a One Stop Career Center funded by the U.S. Department of Labor. Located in downtown St. Louis, SLATE offers workforce development services, including employment assistance, pre-employment job training, career exploration classes, and GED preparation classes. In 2006, James Sahaida, a SLATE employment and training specialist, went to a training program to learn about an innovative, faith-based pilot program called the SHARE Network (Sharing How Awareness of Resources Empowers). Sahaida explained, “The concept of SHARE Network is how do we get [SLATE] services into the community so that persons can have more choices for access to these kinds of services.”

The SHARE Network is a U.S. Department of Labor program designed to help states implement both Access Points and Web-based Resource Directory projects to expand access to workforce development services. This program allows individuals a neighborhood choice in finding valuable job search assistance. Also, connected with this program is an internet-based directory that lists locations that can provide individuals a variety of community and support services, such as food, counseling, housing, and additional employment assistance programs. SHARE Net­work is designed to foster a partnership to assist job seekers from underserved areas of the St. Louis Metropolitan area with their job search. Twelve St. Louis City and County churches, all members of the St. Louis Metropolitan Clergy Coalition, provided the first Access Centers where job seekers work one-on-one with trained volunteers for job search assistance, referrals, and more. The Missouri Career Centers and the State of Missouri established this 2-year pilot in various Workforce Investment Regions throughout the State of Missouri.

Sahaida said the Access Centers are being promoted through the churches, the media, and word of mouth. He described the SHARE Network as “a true collaboration of basically government, churches, and the United Way, [which] has been a key player in St. Louis. And it is just a strong determination of all the people who are involved in this effort to make sure that it does work.”

Panelist: Mike Robinson, Stewardship Pastor, Fellowship Bible Church, Little Rock

Fellowship Bible Church of Little Rock has been working for 10 years to mobilize people and money to help individuals in need throughout the City of Little Rock. Stewardship Pastor Mike Robinson said he and other church leaders challenged the church to look “outside,” explaining, “Too often, unfortunately, churches are internally focused.  But if you look at the history of our country, you’ll find that every major university, most of the hospitals, most of the social service organizations in this country, were started by churches and people of faith.  And too often we forget that, particularly people in government forget that.  And so, today the largest place to find the resources and the people that we need in order to solve the desperate situations in our country are within the churches.” 

Over the course of 10 years, the Fellowship Bible Church has mobilized thousands of volunteers and raised millions of dollars to bring services and resources to people in Little Rock and around the world. Yet Robinson said about 3 years ago, he and others became concerned that their efforts were too scattered and that they needed some focus. At that point, the Church decided to implement a new strategy called One Church-One School-One Neighborhood, which was initiated in the South Mid-Town area of Little Rock, a neighborhood in decline and struggling with high rates of poverty and other social ills.

Fellowship Bible Church partnered with other churches, nonprofits, and the City of Little Rock because, according to Robinson, “Too often we’re guilty of going out and starting up new things as opposed to coming alongside the people who are already doing good work.  Our desire is to try to work through people that are already there, who have history, who know the community, who know the needs.”

The key starting point for the Church’s work in South Mid-Town was in the public schools. When Robinson approached the school district to determine how the church could help, he said “the number one thing that we saw that we could do is provide mentors for kids that were struggling.” In collaboration with an established mentoring program in the community, the Church recruited volunteers who were trained by the schools and matched with students from targeted elementary schools. Mentors work one-on-one with students for one hour, one day a week, with guidance from teachers.

At Franklin Elementary, where 97 percent of the students participate in a subsidized lunch program, the Church mentors 125 of the 400 students. Robinson explained that the Church concentrates on elementary schools because “we know that a child that doesn’t know how to read in the third grade is going to be fundamentally handicapped, and so those first 3 years in particular are so important, and there is a lot of research that supports that if you had one hour to invest or one dollar invest, that is the most strategic place to invest it.”

In addition to its work with schools, the Church has developed a second phase of operation which will be to relation­ally connect, serve, and strengthen families through school-based parent groups, after-school programs, and life skills classes. The third phase will create a growing synergy that leads to significant transformation by strengthening leaders, mobiliz­ing resources, and facilitating greater community connections. This phase will involve the implementation of affordable housing, economic development, and other infrastructure initiatives.

Fellowship Bible Church does not seek government funding, but rather the creation of “a relational network,” in which Robinson said the Church will “lead with volunteers and try to build relationships.” Robinson suggested that the “church is the largest repository of financial resources and, more importantly, of time and talent of the people of the churches.” He added, “The church is the place to mobilize people; their hearts and their talents and their time to serve the real needs in our community.”

Appendix A: Federal Efforts to Promote State and Local Strategies

Corporation for National and Community Service

The Corporation for National and Community Service is the Federal agency that improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. Each year, the Corporation provides opportunities for more than 2 million Americans of all ages and backgrounds to serve their communities and country through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America.

Extensive State-based Infrastructure
To coordinate its resources and foster collaboration at the state and local lev­els, CNCS operates through a network of 50 State Offices and alongside 49 State Education Agencies and 53 State Service Commissions – governor-appointed public agencies and private nonprofits that administer national service programs. The Corporation’s State Offices are staffed by Federal employees to manage grants, conduct public outreach, and oversee all Senior Corps and AmeriCorps*VISTA projects within the state. In turn, each State Office works closely with a State Service Commission which manages community-based projects and special state-based initiatives like the Martin Luther King Day of Service, as well as with a State Education Agency which manages the state’s Learn and Serve America grants and works to build a network of teachers, school administrators, parents, and community organizations to ensure the development of students’ academic and civic life skills. Several states have combined the operations of their volunteer commissions and offices of faith-based and community initiatives.

Founded on the idea that community institutions, whether public agencies or private organizations, can best identify community needs and implement the appropriate responses to those needs, the AmeriCorps*State and National program provides financial support to locally based service projects by distributing one-third of its fiscal year grant funds to the State Service Commissions by a population-based formula. The Commissions then make grants to local nonprofits, public agencies, and faith-based organizations addressing the critical needs of the community. An additional 33 percent of the annual AmeriCorps*State and National grant funds are awarded to the Commissions on a competitive basis to fund local entities operating community service projects. The remaining 33 percent of grant funds are awarded directly to national nonprofits, organizations operating service projects in two or more states.

Every year, governors and State Service Commissions distribute more than $250 million dollars from Federal national service funds, which leverage more than $100 million in local funding to support citizen service and volunteering in America. Among the many benefits of these unified efforts are the increased opportunities for funding as well as highly leveraged efforts to reach CNCS strategic goals. CNCS funding supports several over­arching strategic efforts including: (1) Mobilizing More Volunteers, (2) En­suring a Brighter Future for America’s Youth, and (3) Disaster Preparedness and Response.

For more information on the Corpo­ration for National and Community Service, visit www.nationalservice.gov.

U.S. Agency for International Development

Faith and community-based organiza­tions (FBCOs) play a largely under­stated role in the public diplomacy of this country. As many U.S. governors, state officials and mayors have learned, visits to other countries pay off for their states, its businesses, and for the entire United States as the people of these countries get to know Americans face-to-face. Likewise, when nonprofits and faith and community groups send their members abroad, usually for acts of service, it loudly sends the message that the United States cares about the needs of others. Whether it is a youth on a two-week trip to build a school, a team of doctors performing badly needed surgeries in Africa, an organization providing food and shelter in the wake of a natural disaster, or Americans who have moved their whole lives to another land in order to meet the needs of others, these servants and volunteers build a tremendous amount of good will toward the United States. They represent the amazing compassion of the American people in a way that has not been adequately highlighted in the national media but that reaches and communicates to the heart of each person touched.

Since 1961, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been the principal U.S. agency to extend assistance to countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty, and engaging in democratic reforms. USAID supports economic growth, agriculture and trade; global health; and democracy, conflict prevention and humanitarian assistance all over the world. While USAID is strictly focused on international assistance, USAID used its experience in responding to major disasters around the world to step in when Hurricane Katrina hit here at home. In support of the Fed­eral Emergency Management Agency’s National Emergency Plan, USAID’s Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance coordinated offers of international assistance from over 80 countries.

USAID’s Global Development Alliance (GDA) is an innovative public-private alliance model for improving economic conditions in developing countries. FBCOs can play a crucial role in this economic development when they step in at the local level to help a small business get started or expand access to new technologies. Along these same lines, faith based organizations have been utilized heavily in building relationships and capacity overseas that in many cases lead to economic development opportunities. The GDA combines the assets and experience of strategic partners, leveraging their capital and investments, creativity and access to markets to solve complex problems facing government, business, and communities. These partnerships can include corporations, foundations, universities, and faith-based organizations as well as states and cities.

Within every state there are FBCOs who are already working internationally. These organizations need to know about the resources that USAID’s Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (CFBCI) can provide to them. The CFBCI serves both USAID and the State Department as a liaison to faith and community-based groups to ensure that these groups have equal access to the government and that USAID and State staff know how best to partner with FBCOs. The CFBCI website offers a wealth of information on the CFBCI, the Agency and its programs, and partnership opportunities. In addition, the CFBCI offers a weekly e-newsletter, letting recipients know about upcoming events, tools and resources that are available, and the work of FBCOs all over the world.

For more information, visit www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_partner­ships/fbci/.

U.S. Department of Agriculture

For years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has partnered with faith-based and community organiza­tions (FBCOs) to help deliver food and other vital assistance to those in need. FBCOs represent a valuable asset in USDA’s efforts to reach more people with its programs and be more successful in alleviating hunger and building strong communities. USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) depends upon its partnerships with FBCOs to make its food and nutrition programs more effective. FBCOs are part of USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s network in delivering food and humanitarian assistance to those in need overseas. And USDA Rural Development partners with FBCOs to bring housing, community facilities, and other vital services to rural communities.

The vast majority of partnership opportunities for faith-based and community organizations at USDA can be found in FNS’s 15 domestic nutrition assistance programs that work together to improve food security, fight hunger, and support healthy eating for low-income people across the Nation. The President’s budget for FY 2008 demonstrates the Administration’s unwavering commitment to this mission by requesting a record level of $59 billion dollars for these vital programs, which serve one in five Americans over the course of a year.

FNS’s food and nutrition programs operate primarily through partnerships with State agencies, which in turn partner with local organizations. Generally, FBCOs participate in these programs through agreements with States, or through other local agencies that have agreements with States, rather than directly with the Federal government. For example, in the Chicago area, the Epiphany Episcopal Church partnered with the FNS Summer Food Service Program, which is administered by the Illinois State Board of Education, to serve meals to 150 children in the summer of 2005, totaling almost $9,000 in Federal support.

The Montana Department of Public and Human Services, which administers FNS’s Child and Adult Care Food Program, partnered with the St. Labre Indian School Child Care Center to provide nutritious meals for approximately 25 children, providing nearly $8,000 in Federal support. Approximately $33,400 in Federal support was provided in the summer of 2006 to Chickasaw Nation Boys and Girls Clubs in Chickasha, Sulphur and Tishomingo, Oklahoma in a new partnership under FNS’s Summer Food Service Program. In the Gulf Coast, a partnership between Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church Food Pantry and FNS’s The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) made available nearly $54,000 worth of food commodities to more than 10,000 individuals. TEFAP is funded by USDA and administered at the state level. For more information on how faith-based and community organizations can partner on these and other USDA programs, please visit http://www.usda.gov/fbci/.

U.S. Department of Commerce

Through its Economic Development Administration (EDA), the Department of Commerce has a long history of providing grants to faith-based and community organizations that assist distressed communities. EDA’s mission is to lead the Federal economic development agenda by promoting innovation and competitiveness, preparing American regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. Faith-based and community organizations compete for EDA assistance on exactly the same basis as other applicants; as a result, EDA-supported faith-based and community investments produce the same economic development benefits—higher skilled, higher wage jobs and private sector investment—that characterize EDA projects in general. EDA targets its investment assistance on attracting private capital investment and creating higher-skill, higher-wage jobs in those communities and regions that are suffering from economic distress. Based on locally and regionally-developed priorities, EDA works in partnership with state and local governments, regional economic development districts, public and private nonprofit organizations and Indian tribes to address problems associated with long-term economic distress, as well as sudden and severe economic dislocations such as natural disasters, the closure of military installations and other Federal facilities, changing trade patterns, and the depletion of natural resources.

Since 2001, EDA has invested over $147 million in 187 faith-based or community projects, whose economic benefit was anticipated to create more than 82,000 jobs and $3.5 billion in private investment. In 2006 alone, EDA invested more than $33 million in 44 such projects, with anticipated benefit of more than 19,000 created jobs and nearly $721 million in private sector investment. To learn more about how Commerce is working with faith-based and com­munity groups to encourage economic development, please visit: www.eda.gov

U.S. Department of Education

The Department of Education (ED) Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (Center) works to support the Administration’s goal, per the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), to ensure that all students can read and do math at grade level or better by 2014. Among other things, the Center enlists faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) to participate in a program that can help ensure that every child receives a high-quality education. Under NCLB, FBCOs that are approved providers of supplemental educational services may receive payment to help eligible disadvantaged public school students improve academically by offering them tutoring and other academic enrichment services. Supplemental educational services are tutoring and other academic enrichment services provided outside of the regular school day to help improve students’ achievement in reading, language arts, and math.

In conjunction with the Secretary’s Regional Representatives (SRR), Grants Policy Oversight Staff (GPOS), and state SES administrators, the Center continues to implement, adapt and improve ED’s SES technical assistance workshops. Between January 2006 and May 2007, the Center conducted 21 SES technical assistance workshops and five NCLB roundtables attended by approximately 1,652 people. In addition to technical assistance for SES, many of those work­shops included technical assistance for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant program (21st CCLC), a state administered program that supports the creation of community learning centers that provide academic enrichment opportunities for children.

FBCOs participate in the 21st CCLC program, primarily as partners. During the technical assistance workshops and roundtables, the Center also trained participants and state SES and 21st CCLC administrators on ED’s Equal Treatment Regulations (Regulations). There were also separate trainings for program administrators.

The Center has produced a comprehensive Web site (www.ed.gov/faithandcommunity) for individuals and organizations interested in learning more about the FBCI and amenable programs. The Web site, among other things, contains detailed information and technical assistance on each amenable program and guidance documents on ED’s Regulations. From September 2006 through May 2007 (generally ED’s amenable program grant/application season), there were 234,738 page views of all the pages of the Center’s Web site.

This summer the Center will work to promote the President’s education reforms that include the Promise Scholarships ($250 million requested in FY 2008 budget) and the Opportunity Scholarships ($50 million requested in FY 2008 budget) as set forth in “Building on Results: A Blueprint for Strengthening The No Child Left Behind Act.”

For more information, visit www.ed.gov/about/inits/list/fbci/index.html.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the United States government’s principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves. Each year, HHS administers more grant dollars than all other Federal agencies combined—distributing 60 percent of all Federal dollars awarded. Of this funding, approximately 60 percent is awarded to States through block and formula grant programs. HHS works in conjunction with State and local governments to fund many health and human services to those in need. Through discretionary grant programs that award funding directly to organi­zations, HHS also provides services at the local level in all States and territories. With programs covering a wide spectrum of activities, there are many opportunities for States, local governments, and faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) to partner with HHS.

Since the Initiative began in 2001, HHS has developed three pilot programs; the Compassion Capital Fund (CCF), Mentoring Children of Prison­ers (MCP), and Access to Recovery (ATR). These pilot programs are key components to the Faith-Based and Community Initiative and have opened the doors for many FBCOs across all States and territories to part­ner with HHS.

The Compassion Capital Fund
As a program of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at HHS, CCF helps to build the capacity of FBCOs by increasing their effectiveness, enhancing their ability to provide social services, expanding their organizations, and creating collaborations to better serve those most in need. Since the program began in 2002, approximately $206 million has been awarded to over 4,300 organizations in all States and territories through three different funding mechanisms.

The Demonstration Program funds intermediary organizations that provide faith-based and community organizations training, technical assistance, and capacity-building sub-awards. Intermediary organizations hail from 39 States and have provided assistance to sub-awardees in 48 States. The Targeted Capacity-Building Program funds faith-based and community organizations with one-time awards to increase their capacity to serve targeted social service priority areas. Since this program began in 2003, CCF has awarded “mini-grants” to awardees in every State. Finally, the Communities Empowering Youth (CEY) program builds the capacity of faith-based and community coalitions to reduce gang involvement and youth violence and to foster positive youth development. In 2006, CEY grantees partnered with faith-based and community coalitions in 37 States.

Mentoring Children of Prisoners
MCP, a program within ACF at HHS, awards competitive grants to eligible organizations serving a geographic region with substantial numbers of chil­dren with incarcerated parents. These grants support the establishment and operation of mentoring programs for this specific population of at-risk youth. Since the program’s inception in 2003, approximately $158 million has been awarded to 227 grantees. MCP grantees span across 46 States as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. To date, these grantees have matched over 57,000 children with mentors committed to serving, encouraging, and positively impacting these at-risk youth nationwide.

Access to Recovery
ATR is a unique grant program within HHS at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) that seeks to expand capacity, support client choice, and increase the array of faith-based and community based providers for clinical treatment and recovery support services. Unlike other substance abuse programs, ATR provides funding to States to create an expanded network of providers. Through the distribution of vouchers, clients can purchase substance abuse clinical treatment and recovery support services of their choice within the provider network. In 2004, HHS awarded funding to fourteen States (CA, CN, FL, ID, IL, LA, MO, NJ, NM, TN, TX, WA, WI, WY) and one tribal organization (CA Rural Indian Health Board). These grantees have helped ATR exceed its target goal of 125,000 clients served. To date, the program has served over 170,000 clients across 13 States. New funding for FY 2007 closed in June and HHS estimates that ATR will partner with 18 States or tribal organizations.

For more information, visit www.hhs.gov/fbci.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) houses the newest Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives within the Federal agencies. The mission for the DHS Center is to create an environment within the Department that welcomes the participation of faith-based and community organizations in the Department’s social and community service programs. The Center’s vision is a unified national effort to secure America that incorporates and benefits from the unique capacities of faith-based and community organizations.

The Center reviews DHS programs to determine whether there are barriers that prevent the full participation in agency-sponsored social and community service programs and initiatives. It has been active in the Department’s review of the primary national policy documents that are the basis of the nation’s emergency management structure: the National Incident Management System, the National Response Plan, and the National Preparedness Goal.

The Center conducts outreach activities and recently launched a series of workshops that will provide DHS, FEMA, state and local emergency management officials the opportunity to collaborate with faith-based and community organizations to enhance their partnership in emergency preparedness. In the course of these workshops, the DHS Center will work to identify best practices that can be replicated in other jurisdictions.

The Center has established itself as the primary point of contact for faith-based and community organizations interested in the Department’s programs. It has established working relationships with a number of organi­zations across the country and stands ready to serve those organizations that have questions about or would like to become more involved in the Department’s initiatives and activities.

For more information, visit www.dhs.gov/fbci.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

The U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is the nation’s housing agency committed to increasing homeownership; supporting community development; creating affordable housing opportunities; and enforcing fair housing laws. HUD annually allocates approximately $6 billion to state and local governments through block grant programs such as the Community Development Block Grant, the HOME Investment Partnerships, the Emergency Shelter Grant, and the HOPWA (Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS) programs to support housing and community development efforts throughout the country. Some of these monies are made available to nonprofit organizations when they participate in their local jurisdiction’s Consolidated Planning Process, by competing for eligible activities funded in a Consolidated Plan’s Annual Action Plan. HUD’s block grant programs include:

Community Development Block Grant Program:
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program is the Federal Government’s primary program for promoting community revitalization throughout the country. CDBG provides annual grants on a formula basis to approximately 1,000 metropolitan cities and urban counties, and to 49 states and Puerto Rico for distribution to smaller communities that do not receive their own CDBG funds. Monies are used for a wide range of activities including revitalization, economic development, and improved community facilities and services. Applicants must apply directly to their local community development official for possible program funding.

HOME Investment Partnerships Program:
The HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) program affirms the Federal Government’s commitment to provide decent, safe, and affordable housing to all Americans and to alleviate the problems of excessive rent burdens, homelessness, and deteriorating housing stock. HOME provides funds and general guidelines to State and local governments to design affordable housing strategies that address local needs and housing conditions. Funds may be used for tenant-based rental assistance, homebuyers assistance, property acquisition, new construction, rehabilitation, site improvements, demolition, relocation, and administrative costs. To apply for the program, potential applicants should contact their local community development or housing official.

Emergency Shelter Grants: 
The Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) Program is designed as the first step in the Continuum of Care as it provides funds for emergency shelters—immediate alternatives to the street—and transitional housing that helps people reach independent living. ESG is a formula program and grantees use funds to rehabilitee and operate facilities, provide essential social services, and prevent homelessness.

Housing Opportunities for Persons Living With AIDS:
The Housing Opportunities for Persons Living With HIV/AIDS (HOPWA) program was established to address the specific needs of persons living with HIV/AIDS and their families. HOPWA makes grants to local communities, States, and nonprofit organizations for projects that benefit low income persons medically diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and their families.

HUD’s Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives has to date trained over 30,000 people nationwide in its Art and Science of Grant Writing, which includes a module on the consolidated planning process and HUD block grant programs. These free two-day workshops are offered throughout the country. For more information, please visit http://www.hud.gov/offices/fbci/grantwriting08.cfm.

In addition, since 2005 the Center has been sponsoring The Unlocking Doors Initiative (UDI). UDI is an innovative program designed to bring grassroots organizations and local government officials together to discuss strategies and possible collaborations for the creation of affordable housing; to help grassroots organizations enhance their knowledge of HUD rules and regulations, including Equal Treatment; and to connect FBCOs to opportunities, resources, support, and partnerships.

For more information, visit www.hud.gov or www.hudhre.info.

U.S. Department of Justice

The Department of Justice’s Task Force on Faith-Based and Community Initia­tives provides assistance to faith- and community-based organizations in identifying funding opportunities within the Federal government for which they are eligible to apply. The DOJ administers programs to provide assistance to victims of crime, prisoners and ex-offenders, and women who suffer domestic violence. In addition, the DOJ has initiatives to target gang violence and at-risk youth.

United States Marshals Service (USMS)
The USMS is the enforcement arm of the Federal courts. The USMS has multiple missions, but its primary duty for the Federal government is conducting fugitive investigations and arresting Federal fugitives. USMS has partnered with an unprecedented coalition of faith-based, nonprofit, law enforcement and judicial authorities to create Fugitive Safe Surrender, a program where fugitives voluntarily surrender to the law in a faith-based or other neutral setting. Since 2005, nearly 3000 fugitives have peacefully surrendered at Fugitive Safe Surrender’s three-day events in Cleveland, Phoenix, and Indianapolis.

Anti-Gang Initiative
The Attorney General’s Anti-Gang Initiative builds upon the effective partnerships and strategies developed through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) by dedicating approximately $30 million in grant funding to support PSN anti-gang enforcement and prevention efforts and to provide training and technical assistance. $2.5 million is dedicated to each of 10 sites in cities across the country for an anti-gang pilot program devoting extensive resources to reaching ex-offenders with past or probable future involvement with some of the most violent and pervasive gangs in the country. This initiative focuses on prevention, targeted enforcement, and successful reentry of prisoners back into society.

President’s Family Justice Center Initiative (PFJCI)
This pilot program of fifteen communities across the country, plans, de­velops, and establishes comprehensive domestic violence victim service and support centers. The PFJCI sites bring together advocates from nonprofit groups, victim services organizations, law enforcement officers, probation of­ficers, governmental victim assistants, forensic medical professionals, attorneys, chaplains, and community-based organizations into one centralized location; the one-stop location with an array of services makes a victim’s search for help and justice more ef­ficient and effective.

Among the clients who have received assistance and protection through The Ann Patterson Dooly Family Safety Center in Tulsa, OK, was a woman who, along with her children, had been forced into the car of her abuser and was being threatened by him. When the car stopped at a red light in front of the Center, she jumped out and ran through the doors to safety. Staff was able to get her behind the security doors just as the driver chased in after her. The police set up a roadblock, apprehend­ed him, and reunited her with her children.

Faith and Community Based Delinquency Treatment Initiative (FCBDTI)
FCBDTI, a juvenile justice and rehabilitation project and the result of $3.5 million OJJDP grant, operates in five secure residential facilities in Florida (three for boys and two for girls). The secular, character-based residential program is complemented by faith- and community-based mentor participants and their families throughout each juvenile’s residence and reentry. FCBDTI has been monitored by University of Florida researchers, who will produce a rigorous evaluation that will include data-based evidence of the program’s effect on its participants. For more information, visit www.usdoj.gov/fbci/.

U.S. Department of Labor

The Faith-Based and Community Initiative at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is grounded in the front-line work of local faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) that are helping their neighbors overcome barriers, find jobs, and stay employed. As a result, the DOL Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (CFBCI) has launched several innovative programs to expand collaboration between local faith-based and community organizations, state workforce agencies, local workforce investment boards (LWIBs), One-Stop Career Centers, and employers. The following programs are recent examples of that work.

SHARE Network
This national initiative enables states to create Web-based referral systems between One-Stop Career Centers and FBCOs that provide supportive services that One-Stop Career Centers may not provide, and locates “Access Points” to online One-Stop resources within volunteer-staffed FBCOs in underserved neighborhoods. Ten states currently participate in SHARE Network.

Prisoner Reentry
The Labor Department’s first prisoner reentry demonstration project, Ready­4Work, provided employment-based transition services to former prisoners and lowered recidivism rates well below the national average. The thirty FBCO sites participating in the President’s Prisoner Reentry Initiative, in partnership with the Justice Department, are expanding the promising results started by Ready4Work. DOL is also working with the Council of State Governments to equip states to develop their own FBCO-based prisoner reentry projects.

Project Reach-Out
Six LWIBs are currently receiving hands-on guidance and support in forming “managed networks” of FBCO partners. The replicable practices and outcomes of these pilot projects will be packaged and promoted to LWIBs nationwide.

Grants to Local Workforce Investment Boards
Grants to 22 LWIBS generated more than 120 partnerships with grassroots FBCOs and intermediary organizations. The resulting networks of FBCOs provided direct services to struggling individuals and links to resources at their local One-Stop Career Centers.

Grants to Grassroots Faith-Based and Com­munity Organizations
Since 2002, DOL has awarded grants to grassroots FBCOs in more than 170 towns and cities across 44 states. These small nonprofits are linking the individuals they serve to One-Stop Center resources and providing the services needed to ensure stable, long-term employment.

Future State & Local Projects
Beginning this summer, DOL will offer additional technical assistance to states and local communities that wish to expand partnerships with FBCOs to better serve struggling neighborhoods. The Labor Department will be offering mini-grants to state and local WIBs to host partnership and networking meetings for FBCOs in their local areas. The CFBCI at DOL is also expanding the SHARE Network—contact Erica Pelman at pelman.erica@dol.gov if your state is interested in becoming the next SHARE Network state. For more information, visit www.dol.gov/cfbci or call 202-693-6450.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

VA is the second largest of the 15 Cabinet departments and operates nationwide programs for health care, financial assistance and burial benefits and offers a wide variety of programs and services for the nation’s 24.3 million veterans. VA has 153 hospitals, 881 ambulatory care and community-based outpatient clinics, 207 Vet Centers, 136 nursing homes, 45 residential rehabilitation treatment programs, 92 comprehensive home care programs, 57 regional offices and 124 national cemeteries.

The aim of the VA FBCI is to engage faith-based and other community-based organizations in VA’s mission “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan.” We have many different opportunities for organizations across the country to become involved in the VA and serve veterans. Some of our key pilots and programs include: Restore Vision for Homeless Veterans, FBCI = VetSuc­cess, Loan Guaranty Program for Homeless Veteran Multifamily Transitional Housing, Special Employer Incentive Program, NCA Contracting Services and Volunteerism, Homeless Grant and Per Diem Program, Loan Guaranty Homeless Program and Voluntary Service Program.

All VA pilots and programs are national in scope and organizations from all states can participate. The following programs highlight the success of national VA efforts:

FBCO = VetSuccess Pilot
The Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service (VR&E) partners with faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) around the country to provide service-connected disabled veteran’s opportunities to seek employment, career advancement, job mobility, family economic well-being  and greater financial security. In FY 2006 FBCOs hired 591 service connected disabled veterans up from 362 in FY 2005.

VA Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program
The Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program is offered annually to fund community agencies providing services to homeless veterans. The purpose of the program is to promote the development and provision of supportive housing and/or services to help homeless veterans achieve residential stability, increase their skill levels, income, and independence. In FY 2006, VA awarded more than $69 million through 365 grants and per diem to organizations to provide services for homeless veterans. This program has created more than 8,000 beds and serves more than 15,000 veterans annually.

For more information, visit www.va.gov/fbci.

U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 as an independent agency of the Federal Government to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns, to preserve free competitive enterprise and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation. SBA helps America’s small businesses start, build and grow. Through an extensive network of field offices, resource partners (SCORE, Small Business Development Centers and Women’s Business Centers), state and local governments and private organizations, SBA delivers its services to people throughout the United States.

SBA helps small businesses with loan guarantees and Federal contract and technical assistance. SBA recognizes that entrepreneurs and small businesses can have a profound impact on communities that have higher poverty and unemployment rates. Entrepreneurship and small business growth help communities, by bringing lasting, sustainable economic activity that creates jobs, generates investment and creates new wealth. Entrepreneurship is the vehicle by which these communities raise themselves up.

SBA’s Underserved Markets Initiative enables small business formation and growth in underserved communities. Supported by all SBA programs, the initiative focuses on delivery of SBA services to rural and inner city communities with high rates of unemployment and poverty. Over one-third of SBA’s guarantees loans and much of the management counseling and technical assistance services provided by SBA’s resource partners go to underserved communities.

SCORE
SCORE, “Counselors to America’s Small Business,” is a resource partner of the SBA dedicated to entrepreneur education. A resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration, SCORE is a more than 40 year old nonprofit with over 10,500 volunteers who provide free business counseling and no or low-cost workshops to new and emerging small businesses across our nation. While most of SCORE’s work has focused on small businesses, over the years it has assisted some start-up and emerging nonprofit organizations, particularly on business issues. As a result of these experiences, SCORE strongly believes that to be effective, competitive and sustainable, nonprofits must not only be caring and creative, they must also run their operations as businesses.

For more information, visit http://www.score.org/index.html.

Appendix B: Biographies

Chris Bugbee
Director of Programs, Policy and Public Affairs
One Star Foundation, Texas

As the Director of Programs, Policy and Public Affairs for OneStar Foundation, Chris Bugbee serves in an executive management role with oversight over capacity building programs and training, policy and research development, community relations and communications. Prior to assuming this role, Chris served as manager of the Governor’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative at OneStar.

Before joining OneStar, Chris was appointed to serve in Washington as Deputy Director of the Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He also served at the White House as Associate Director in the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives and as a Senior Intergovernmental Officer for U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao.

Chris is a native Texan and holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural development from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in public service and administration from the George Bush School of Government and Public Service. Chris is married and currently resides in Austin with his wife Heidi.

Peter Elliot
U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Ohio
Fugitive Safe Surrender, Cleveland

On March 10, 2003, President Bush appointed Peter J. Elliott as United States Marshal for the Northern District of Ohio after being unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate. He is the 26th overall U.S. Marshal appointed in the district since the Northern District of Ohio was formed in 1855. He is also the youngest U.S. Marshal appointed in the history of the district.

Marshal Elliott’s law enforcement career has spanned over 24 years in the greater Cleveland area. In June of 2003, U.S. Marshal Elliott created the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force which is comprised of local police departments and the United States Marshals Service. Since its inception in 2003, the task force has worked collaboratively with Federal, state, and local law enforcement to arrest more than 10,000 violent fugitives.

Marshal Elliott has taken a proactive approach to apprehending fugitives, including partnering with the media and initiating public service announcements, a weekly U.S. Marshals Fugitive of the Week television segment on NBC in Cleveland and Akron, Ohio and a weekly “most wanted” segment on the radio with Clear Channel Communications (WTAM). He also established a toll-free tip line for callers to provide anonymous information regarding a known fugitive’s whereabouts at 1-866-4WANTED.

In 2004 Marshal Elliott created a new concept known as the “Fugitive Safe Surrender Program” in Cuyahoga County that led to over 850 fugitives, including over 300 felons, voluntarily surrendering to a church. This law enforcement program that partners with the faith-based community was the first of its kind in the nation and has now been adopted as a national program by the United States Marshals Service.

Marshal Elliott brought the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) program to the district to prevent youth crime and gang involvement while developing a positive relationship with law enforcement. The district reaches out to surrounding communities and educates the youth in the Cleveland area. The Marshal formed the G.R.E.A.T. Executive Committee and has partnered with professional sports teams, non profit groups, the faith-based community, universities and others to build a strong coalition to help youths in Northern Ohio. This program has now been adopted as a national program by the United States Marshals Service. In May 2007 Marshal Elliott was selected as a “Top Cop” of America by the National Association of Police Organizations. Marshal Elliott was the sole selection from the State of Ohio and one of only a few officers selected in the nation for this prestigious award.

Byron Johnson
Co-Director of Institute for Studies of Religion, Professor, Sociology
Baylor University

Byron Johnson is Professor of Sociology and co-director of the Institute for Studies of Religion (ISR) as well as director of the Program on Prosocial Behavior, both at Baylor University. He is a Senior Fellow at the Witherspoon Institute in Princeton, New Jersey. Professor Johnson’s research focuses on the role of religion in public life. Recent publications have examined the efficacy of the “faith factor” in reducing crime and delinquency among at-risk youth in urban communities, and several studies examining the impact of faith-based programs on recidivism reduction and prisoner reentry. Johnson has written extensively on domestic violence and strategic efforts to reduce family violence. He is currently conducting research on the religious identity of American evangelicals.

Stephen V. Monsma
Research Fellow of Henry Institute for Study of Religion and Politics
Calvin College
Stephen V. Monsma is a research fellow at the Henry Institute for Study of Religion and Politics at Calvin College and a nonresident fellow at the Center for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society at the University of Pennsylvania and at the Center for Public Justice. Previously Monsma served in the Michigan House of Representatives (1972-78) and Michigan Senate (1978-82). He is also a professor emeritus of political science at Pepperdine University. Monsma holds a Ph.D. from Michigan State University.

Paula Parker-Sawyers
Executive Director
Indiana Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
Paula Parker-Sawyers is the executive director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Governor Mitch Daniels established the OFBCI by Executive Order on January 11, 2005. This office serves as a source for individuals and organizations to partici­pate in state government through a variety of programs and initiatives. Prior to the OFBCI, Paula was the associate director of the Polis Center at IUPUI, the Director of the Friendly Access Program at the Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County, a special assistant to the chancellor at Indiana University/Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI), the director of the Office of Neighborhood Resources at IUPUI and the director of Leadership Works, a board training program at the IU Center on Philanthropy. Additionally, Paula served as the executive director of the Association of Black Foundation Executives while on staff at the IU Center on Philanthropy.

Paula held positions in both the public and private sector. She was the Charitable Contributions Officer and director of Community Relations at The Associated Group (Anthem, Blue Cross & Blue Shield), director of Communications at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Indiana, and operations manager at Browning Invest­ments. Her public sector positions included serving as deputy mayor of the City of Indianapolis and being elected to the Indianapolis City-County Council for eight years. Paula is very involved in the philanthropic community in Indianapolis and currently serves as a member of the board of trustees for Christian Theological Seminary, a member of the Spirit and Place Advisory Board and the Pacer’s Foundation Board of Directors. Paula graduated from Indiana University with a BA in Political Science and MPA in Nonprofit Management concentration. She is a life long resident of Indianapolis, Indiana, and the mother of three adult children.

Andrea Phillips
Executive Vice President
Seedco

Andrea Phillips is executive vice president of Seedco, a national organization that partners with faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) and other local agencies to create economic opportunities for disadvanatged job seekers, workers, and neighborhood entrepreneurs. She is responsible for developing program strategies and overseeing the implementation of all Seedco programs and budget, totaling approximately $32 million annually. Ms. Phillips has been the leading architect and implementer of Seedco’s FBCO network delivery model for workforce development and human services in New York City and Tennessee. Prior to her seven years at Seedco, Ms. Phillips served as Deputy Director for Research and Evaluation for New York City’s Victims Services Agency. Ms. Phillips has also served as a Program Director at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). Ms. Phillips holds a BA from Tufts University and a MA in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Nancy Pope
Director
Governor Richardson’s Office of Faith-Based & Community Initiatives

Nancy was appointed by Governor Richardson in September 2005. The mission of the office is to connect Federal funding to faith-based and community organizations in New Mexico, help these organizations build capacity in order to sustain their missions of helping those most in-need and create collaborations among organizations (both public and private sector). Nancy created a two-year plan in the first three months of taking office, and has conducted over 160 meetings across New Mexico designed to educate and communicate Federal funding opportunities (and how to access the opportunities) with nonprofit organizations. In addition, Nancy developed a database of over 1600 nonprofit organizations in New Mexico in order to provide more timely communication of Federal grant opportunities. Nancy worked most of her career in the investment industry, but transitioned from the corporate world to the nonprofit sector in 2003. Before her appointment, Nancy served for two years as development director of a nonprofit organization in Albuquerque. Nancy has a MBA from Loyola University in Chicago and a BA in Marketing from Michigan State University.

Mike Robinson
Stewardship Pastor
Fellowship Bible Church, Little Rock

Michael D. (Mike) Robinson, CPA, serves as steward­ship pastor of Fellowship Bible Church of Little Rock, Arkansas. Part of Mike’s responsibility is to oversee the community strategies (missions) work of the church. That work is local, national and international. The Community Strategies Team is made up of five full-time staff plus a number of volunteer staff who manage the externally focused work of the church.

Mike has served on the elder board of the church for 22 years. A retired CPA with 30 years of practice, Mike leads the efforts of the church to mobilize manpower and money to reach needs in the community and the world. Mike serves on a num­ber of civic and nonprofit boards in addition to his work at Fellowship Bible Church. In addition, Mike serves as trustee and a board member for a number of foundations.

James G. Sahaida, M.S.W.
Employment and Training Specialist
St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment, St. Louis

Employed with the City of St. Louis for 30+ years, James has served for the past ten years for the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment. His positions have included career counselor, job developer, program assessment officer, project coordinator and manager. James also serves on several community boards and remains ac­tive with an inter-faith based network of congregations called Metropolitan Congregations United (MCU) that work on justice issues related to employment, health care, immigration, and education. MCU is part of a national network of churches affiliated with the Gamaliel Foundation.

David J. Wright
Director, Urban and Metropolitan Studies and Associate Director
The Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy

David J. Wright is director of Urban and Metropolitan Studies at the Rockefeller Institute of Government. His research interests focus on the role and effectiveness of community organizations in neighborhood development and in social service delivery. Mr. Wright is currently researching and writing about social capital in majority African-American neighborhoods, and on nonprofit collaboration and public partnerships under welfare devolution. He recently directed national field network studies on the effects of welfare reform on community development corporations, implementation of the Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Community program, and the Neighborhood Preservation Initiative. He is the author most recently of It Takes a Neighborhood: Strategies to Prevent Urban Decline and The Flip Side of the Underclass: Unexpected Images of Social Capital in Majority-African Neighborhoods. Prior to joining the Institute, Mr. Wright served New York Governor Mario M. Cuomo as deputy secretary for policy and program design.  

Suzanne Yack, Director
Florida Faith-Based and Community-Based Advisory Council
Volunteer Florida Foundation

Suzanne Yack is the director for the Florida Faith-Based and Community-Based Advisory Council, the lead organization for the state’s FBC Initiative, housed at Volunteer Florida Foundation. She is also is director for Neighbors to the Rescue, an initiative of the Foundation.

Neighbors to the Rescue helps local communities draw on untapped assets and volunteers to enhance recov­ery efforts after storms, hurricanes, tornadoes or other disasters. With the partnership of faith-based and community-based groups across the state, Neighbors to the Rescue is creating a stronger safety net for Floridians after disasters.

As the director of the faith-based initiative, Suzanne is the point of contact for members of the Florida Faith-Based and Community-Based Advisory Council, which develops policy recommendations to ensure that government and the nonprofit community provide stronger services to Floridians across a wide spectrum of human services. Ms. Yack delivers technical assistance and training with faith- and community-based groups across Florida, in both disaster-related and non-disaster-related work. She is the former vice president for development and communications for the Jacksonville-based FreshMinistries, a faith-based nonprofit that launches new models to address chronic poverty.

Suzanne was editorial page editor of The Augusta Chronicle in Georgia, and editor of the Juneau Empire in Juneau, Alaska and was a reporter and the editor of the Bainbridge Review, on Washington’s Bainbridge Island. Prior to her journalism career, Suzanne was a business owner and operator in Alaska.

Appendix C: Roundtable Agenda

3:00 – 3:05 Welcome and Introduction

3:05 – 3:30 Federal Report – Presentation of State Accomplishments
Jay F. Hein, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

3:30 – 4:15 State Showcase
Moderator: Chris Bugbee, Director of Programs, Policy and Public Affairs One Star Foundation, Texas
Panelist: Suzanne Yack, Director, Florida Faith-Based and Community-Based Advisory Council Volunteer Florida Foundation
Panelist: Nancy Pope, Faith-Based and Community Liaison Office of the Governor, New Mexico
Panelist: Andrea Phillips, Executive Vice President Seedco

4:15 – 4:45 Researcher’s Roundtable: Perspectives on State and local Innovation
Moderator: Jay F. Hein, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
Panelist: Byron Johnson, Co-Director of Institute for Studies of Religion Baylor University
Panelist: David J. Wright, Director, Urban and Metropolitan Studies and Associate Director The Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy
Panelist: Stephen V. Monsma Research Fellow of Henry Institute for Study of Religion and Politics Calvin College

4:55 – 5:30 Local/Regional Showcase
Moderator: Paula Parker-Sawyers, Executive Director Indiana Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
Panelist: Peter Elliot, U.S. Marshall for the Northern District of Ohio Fugitive Safe Surrender, Cleveland
Panelist: James G. Sahaida, Employment and Training Specialist, St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment, St. Louis
Panelist: Mike Robinson, Stewardship Pastor Fellowship Bible Church, Little Rock

Appendix D: Snapshots of State and Local FBCI Efforts

Breaking Down Barriers: The New Jersey Mini Grant Application

One of the main goals of President Bush’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative is to break down the barriers that prevent the army of compassion from fulfilling its mission: to provide services to those in need. The challenge that the President has put forth to those who administer these programs in Federal, State, and local governments is to find creative ways to enable those in faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) to compete equally for access to funds.

The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services met this challenge with an innovation in the application process for the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in their State. The WIC program is a State-administered U.S. Department of Agriculture nutrition assistance and education program serving the youngest residents and their families at risk of poor nutrition and medically related health problems. Organizations can apply to be WIC service providers in their communities. State officials realized that these organizations were spending more time processing grant applications than they were actually delivering the services supported by their grant. For example, the amount of paperwork required for a typical grant application could exceed 20 pages, and it could take weeks to collect and process the supporting documentation.

It was evident that flexibility and creativity were needed to reduce the burden on smaller organizations. The solution was the New Jersey Mini-Grant Application, which simplifies the grant process and relies on the discretion of the programs that provide the services to make the funding decisions. Qualifying organizations seeking $25,000 or less in funds for outreach, transportation, equipment, staffing, and supplies can now use this application to apply. The grant document is simple, straightforward, and provides greater access to funding necessary to deliver WIC services.

The results of this effort are beginning to show promising results. While the program is still in its early stages, enthusiasm and excitement are growing as word spreads. For instance, a mini-grant awarded to an organization in Elizabeth, New Jersey to operate as an alternative site for the WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program allowed over 1,400 people to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables. One program official noted that “increasing access increases participation” and that “this process allows us to do just that.”

For more information on the WIC program in New Jersey, please visit www.state.nj.us/health/fhs/wic/ or http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/fbco/.

End Hunger Connecticut! Inc. And The Manchester Area Conference of Churches: A Partnership Success Story

Faith-based and community organizations are critical partners in outreach efforts to increase participation in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrition assistance programs. Recognizing this, the Northeast Regional Office of USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has been working with the State of Connecticut to expand its partnerships with these organizations in the Food Stamp Program. As a result, in Federal fiscal year 2006 Connecticut’s Food Stamp Outreach Plan included funding to End Hunger Connecticut!, Inc. (EHC!), an important anti-hunger organization in the state. The funding was dedicated to establishing a 6-month pilot out­reach program through a faith-based organization. EHC! chose the Manchester Area Conference of Churches (MACC), a faith-based organization comprised of 21 different churches. The MACC has provided food, shelter, clothing, and emergency services to the most vulnerable individuals and families in the community for 30 years.

EHC! and MACC developed a strong working relationship from the outset of the grant period, in part due to MACC’s natural connection to low-income, food insecure individuals. MACC employed a comprehensive and targeted outreach strategy, including organizing food stamp outreach events and utilizing church bulletins or newsletters. They learned how to approach the pantry and shelter clients and convince them that applying for food stamps would allow them to afford to pay the bills while providing nutritious food for the family.

Their efforts paid off. Since the onset of the outreach efforts, MACC saw a consistent decrease in the number of people served each month in the pantry for the first time in 10 years. MACC believes this is due to the food stamp benefit people received as a result of the food stamp outreach. Households in the emergency pantry no longer need to come to MACC every week; food stamps allow them to meet their needs for the first few weeks of the month and then utilize MACC’s services after their food stamps are gone. The pilot proved so successful that EHC! requested and received an extension and funding from FNS through the end of fiscal year 2007 to continue the outreach efforts.

For more information on food and nutrition projects in Connecticut, please visit http://www.endhungerct.org/ or http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/fbco/.

Access To Recovery: Connecticut

For nearly a decade, the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services has championed the role of recovery to address substance abuse treatment and prevention in its Federally-funded State infrastructure.  Around the turn of the century, Connecticut began convening stakeholders--including faith-based and community organizations--to discuss restructuring its service system to recognize recovery in the State’s policy framework and network of services. This recognition of recovery both encouraged treatment to increase natural support systems for individuals and encouraged services to be more sustained rather than crisis-oriented.

As a part of this strategy, Connecticut recognized the strengths and resources of FBCOs to serve individuals in need in their own communities and to provide a system of sustained care and support for individuals. Connecticut was able to further realize this new vision when it was awarded $7.6 million over 3 years through the Access to Recovery Program (ATR). Through this grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Connecticut has been better able to connect individuals in need of substance abuse treatment with a range of recovery support services. By funding these inexpensive support services at the community level, Connecticut has realized that the time between treatment and relapse can be lengthened, resulting in many individuals struggling with addictions requiring expensive clinical treatment less often. Connecticut continues to consider and implement innovative partnerships with grassroots organizations in its effort to come alongside individuals suffering from substance abuse and support them on their path to recovery.

For more information, visit http://www.ct.gov/dmhas.

Good Samaritan Community Services

Good Samaritan Community Services (GSCS), formerly the Good Samaritan Center, was founded in 1951 on San Antonio’s near west side by the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas under the leadership of Bishop Everett Jones, and grew out of a downtown mission of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. Today, Good Samaritan Community Services is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, a United Way agency and neighborhood center providing comprehensive services to over 3,000 low-income individuals and 1800 families annually.

The Lower Rio Grande Valley Workforce Development Board and Workforce Solutions has contracted Good Samaritan Community Services as its Youth Contractor. Workforce Solutions has established a youth model recognized as a “best practice” by the Texas Workforce Commission. This model, coupled with Good Samaritan Community Services’ innovative and successful programs, will ensure that youth who live in Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy Counties, areas rural in nature and under general economic distress, will receive the assistance they need to enter the workforce.

An example of one of Good Samaritan’s model projects in Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy Counties is the Get2Work Youth Employment Training. A recent Industry Cluster Analysis report reinforced the fact that the Rio Grande Valley suffers from a 49 percent drop out rate. The Get2Work program supports economically disadvantaged youth, 70 percent of whom are high school drop outs, achieve the life and academic skills and vocational competencies necessary to obtain and keep a job. The Get2Work program opened in February 2006 in Starr, Hidalgo, & Willacy Counties and is serving over 6,000 youth. Some of the programs activities include leadership development, case management, GED preparation, vocational exploration, job interview and resume preparation, and job internships.

For more information, visit www.goodsamaritancommunityservices.org.

Governor Pawlenty’s Yellow Ribbon Task Force

When the Minnesota Army National Guard’s 1st Brigade Combat Team (BCT) received its notice that they would be extending their tour in Iraq new issues came to light.  Governor Tim Pawlenty put together a task force created to make plans and find any gaps in the State services that would be available to the service members when they returned. The task force is broken down into six smaller groups each with its own area of expertise. Areas include health care, family programs, public safety, education, crisis response, and employment.

Examples of the result of these efforts include more available respite and affordable child care to families; specialized training which focuses on the special needs of children with deployed or returning military parents is available for parents, educators, social workers, mental health care providers, marriage and family therapists and faith and community-based leaders; day and weeklong camps for children ages K through 12 are available across the state; tools and technical support are more available for organizations who wish to start or enhance mentoring programs for children, or support groups for military members, parents or siblings of adult military members; special hotlines and web links are established to assist veterans, military members and their families who are in crisis or who are looking for assistance with housing, employment, higher education, health and chemical health care or virtually any other need. The Governor’s Council on Faith and Community Service Initiatives has compiled an easy-to-use resource brochure that may be used by faith and community leaders to assist in their efforts to support veterans, military members, and their families.

2600 members of the Minnesota Army National Guard’s 1st Brigade Combat Team (BCT) 34th Infantry Division will have served the longest tour of any unit fighting in the Iraq war. All are expected back by August 1, 2007.

For more information, visit www.faithandcommunity.state.mn.us or www.minnesotaveterans.org.

Hawaii: Working with Homelessness

Homeless is a significant challenge in Hawaii with a significant concentration of homeless people on the island of Oahu. The Governor, with the support of the General Assembly, has partnered extensively with FBCOs to provide much needed services. The State has invested $7 million in a new shelter on the leeward side of the island and has developed the Next Step Shelter in the Kakaako neighborhood of Honolulu to accommodate people who were living in a park which is run by a faith-based organization.

For more information, visit www.fbcihawaii.com.

Richmond Gang Reduction and Intervention and Prevention Program (GRIP)

The goal of Richmond GRIP is to reduce gang activity and to provide youth and the community a safer and healthier environment. Richmond was fortunate to have been selected by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) because it meets a number of the qualifying criteria, including a significant existing investment in programs that address gang activity, strong indications of citizen involvement, and relatively high rates of crime and gang activity.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) at DOJ created a pilot model that is designed to approach the problem by attempting to prevent children from joining gangs initially. In the primary prevention strategy, high-crime and high-risk areas are targeted with one-stop service resource centers. Under the secondary prevention component, children between the ages of 7 and 15 who may be at risk of joining gangs will be identified and offered educational involvement in schools, community-based, and faith-based organizations.

The gang intervention effort targets gang members, their associates and former gang members and those who are being released from prison. Under the gang suppression method, gang leaders are targeted by local, State and Federal law enforcement officers and removed from the community using Federal charges, aggressive prosecutions, and enhanced sentences.

Finally, the reentry program seeks to return former gang members to their communities, paying special attention to those who may face multiple legal or lifestyle obstacles. A key part of this plan is the sharing of information between confinement facilities, probation and parole officers, and community intervention service providers.

During the period that GRIP has been implemented in Richmond, the target area has seen a decrease in crime. The GRIP target area saw a 47 percent reduction in robbery and a 71 percent reduction in aggravated assault during the GRIP-funded period. This program has been successful through its collaboration with law enforcement, prevention and intervention practitioners, schools, faith-based organizations and community members in enhancing and expanding programs in the target area. GRIP has also worked with local, State and Federal resources and over 45 partners to bring additional resources to the target area in an effort to reduce gang crime and provide youth with healthy alternatives.