There is Love - Mill City Singers perform at Bold Hope in the North
Saturday, February 3, 2018 at 11:41AMArticle by Claudia Kittock
There is Love!
The Mill City Singers, created and sponsored by the Friends of the Mill District, have had a fascinating history in the two years of existence. We began as a pilot project sponsored by DMNA and have progressed to a vibrant group of 204 community members, now sponsored by Friends of the Mill District. Today the Singers perform in venues across Minneapolis, led by the magical JD and Fred Steele.
On Sunday, January 28th, the Singers were featured at a Super Bowl LII event at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Bold Hope in the North. The event was designed to help raise money through the Downtown Congregations to End Homelessness (DCEH). DCEH piloted a rental assistance program that has proven to be incredibly successful. Six months after families receive assistance, 80% are still in their homes.
The Emergency Rental Assistance Program allows DCEH to further its focus on long-term housing solutions by expanding the areas of involvement to include homeless prevention. The DCEH ERA pools together resources, experience, and capacity in the member congregations to have a coordinated impact within the same programmatic structure.
The program supports individuals and families by providing rental assistance in a time of financial crisis. A crucial component of the program is providing relationship and additional services or activities to help clients develop skills and community in their goal of keeping stable housing. By providing financial and personal growth services, DCEH ERA will help people stay in their homes instead of facing an eviction in this crisis, or the next.
With Mayor Jacob Frey as the emcee, the Bold Hope in the North program highlighted both the problem of homelessness and the hope. Mayor Frey repeated his commitment to ending homelessness, hoping to make Minneapolis the first major city in the country to end street homelessness. What an accomplishment that would be!
The Singers were honored to be able to bring a message of community and hope to the event. We sang three songs and left feeling uplifted and excited about the music of the day, the message of hope, and a renewed sense of community. None of this is possible alone. We can only do it as a community with a willingness to do the work.
How can you help?
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About Claudia Kittock
