Making our voices heard and giving voice to those without voices and those who may be ignored for other reasons is an important way of seeking change in our society. This advocacy to government on behalf of our is our duty not only as Americans, but as compassionate human beings. Below are some of the issues we consider most important to the residents of the McDonough Homes community.
Immigration reform
Ninety-two percent of MORE’s people are refugees/immigrants. Many of them have been deeply affected by the complex and outdated immigration policies currently in place. Some families wait years to be reunited with spouse and/or children. Others face an asylum system that often retraumatizes them and whose regional courts vary significantly in their decisions regarding similar cases. For more information on justice for immigrants, please visit www.ilcm.org.
Housing
The majority of MORE’s people are classified as low-income and struggle daily to meet basic needs. Many pay 70% to 100% of their income on rent alone since there is not enough affordable housing available. The affordable housing market in Minnesota is stretched beyond capacity, which often results in new immigrants and refugees waiting anywhere from one to five years to live in housing they can afford. For more information on affordable housing in St. Paul, please visit Family Housing Fund.
Health care reform
Many of our families are able to receive medical assistance, but only refugees, and not immigrants, are eligible. For those refugees who then sponsor family members as immigrants, those family members are not eligible for medical assistance for their first five years, even though they too come from the same refugee experience.
Poverty
Seeking to respond to the myriad faces of human need, MORE confronts the challenges of poverty daily. Poverty affects the entire well being of families, the communities they are a part of and our society at large. The stress of focusing on mere survival needs increases emotional distress, which impacts physical and mental health and impedes their ability to take full advantage of educational and other opportunities that would allow them to move out of poverty. It also can lead to increased potential for family violence and substance abuse, both of which further destabilize families, lead to an increase in divorce and therefore increased poverty, especially for women and children. Hunger Minnesota
