Posted in The Word, tagged Bible on November 30, 2013| Leave a Comment »
I received this via email the other day and thought it would be a great app to promote via my blog for those of you that have young children.
Happy Thanksgiving
The Bible App for Kids is here!
Help your kids fall in love with God’s Word.
4600 E. 2nd St. | Edmond, OK 73034 US
© LifeChurch.tv
Posted in In the News, Social Justice Initiatives on November 30, 2013| Leave a Comment »
The following front page article “Homeless problem worsens” written by Neil Ratley was run by the Southland Times on the 19th of November.
The amount of people within Invercargill that would be considered homeless under the New Zealand definition of homelessness is growing. This is one of the projects that I’ve been working on over the past few months or more and I’ve been asked to speak into a report that is going to the local council in the New Year.
The closure of the Invercargill Salvation Army shelter for men in October last year is forcing homeless people to sleep in a city park, authorities say.
Salvation Army Invercargill captain Perry Bray said homeless people had nowhere else to go, but plans were in place to find them a temporary shelter.
“Basically there is no other facilities to pick up those people who are on the street,” he said.
The shelter was forced to close its doors after an independent earthquake report declared the 107-year-old Leven St building a serious earthquake risk.
However, the problem of homelessness in Invercargill went beyond those roughing it in the park.
Figures provided by the Salvation Army to The Southland Times show 606 clients were on the Salvation Army Invercargill books for social services for the year ending June 30.
Of those, 27 per cent, or 164 people, fitted the definition of being homeless.
This was made up of 12 people without shelter who slept rough, seven in crisis or short-term emergency housing, 12 living in boarding houses and 133 staying with family or friends.
The Salvation Army secretary for social services, Major Pam Waugh, said the numbers were a concern. “When you look at the total number of [606] clients and see a quarter of them fit the definition of being homeless, it is a big concern.”
While many people living with family and friends could do so for a long time, potentially it was only a step away from being on the street, she said.
If the accommodation arrangements did not work out, those people could find themselves in crisis, Mrs Waugh said.
Single men between the ages of 20 and 49 represented the greatest number of people at risk of becoming homeless.
Mr Bray said the Salvation Army and other agencies were working towards opening a new temporary shelter in the city next year.
An independent trust was being set up to look at a night-shelter option which was “absolutely” needed in Invercargill, he said.
Clients looking to gain temporary shelter had often run into spiralling financial difficulties and came from all walks of life, he said.
Invercargill City Council parks manager Robin Pagan confirmed the number of people roughing it in Queens Park had increased.
The council had trespassed two people and was aware of “a couple more” whom the council had not caught up with yet, he said.
“Obviously there are people out there in the community who don’t have anywhere to go or don’t want to go anywhere else.” He said this might be caused by other facilities not being available.
Police had recently been called to deal with some males camped in Queens Park, the Southland area manager prevention, Inspector Olaf Jensen, said.
Invercargill had agencies, such as Work and Income, which could help people without accommodation, he said, but often a small number of people chose to sleep rough because they did not want to deal with agencies.
Police worked with the city council and social service agencies to help those in crisis to find accommodation options, Mr Jensen said.
This story generated a fair bit of talk around the city especially for those that did the Pub Ministry on the following Friday night. To check out other comments on Facebook etc. follow the link to the Southland Times page on stuff.co.nz
The life and times of Perry... 