The project grew out of a desire among pastors in Conferences 10 and 11 to find a way to bring congregations together and begin to break down barriers that have kept ELCA congregations in the Des Moines area from working together as effectively as possible in common ministry for common good. There was also a desire to address the sobering fact that very few options exist in Des Moines to help and house whole families who are homeless without splitting them apart.

Leaders believe helping two Des Moines faith partners - St. Joseph's Emergency Shelter and St Paul's AME -- with their ministries among homeless families will allow ELCA congregations in the Des Moines area to both participate in a vital ministry and strengthen relationships with one another.

Project details have yet to be nailed down. But, in general, our mission project is to work closely with these two groups to give their facilities that serve homeless families an upgrade. This may include painting and recarpeting, landscaping and furnishing, and other projects yet to be determined. We hope to set aside a designated time period (one to two weeks) this summer, probably in July or early August 2007 when all congregations and members involved in this project can come together to do the work, get to know each other and celebrate and worship together.

A task team is assigned to each facility. The teams are in the process of completing a site assessment. When more details are known, we will be able to solicit help from more people and people with specific skills do related projects.

Two reasons. Our funds will be limited, and truly remodeling a facility (i.e. moving walls, physically altering space) would require more funds and time than we have available. In addition, such major changes would become problematic and costly with respect to building code issues.

Until project details are determined, costs are unknown at this point. We will be seeking grants, matching funds, and contributions from participating congregations.

Congregations and individuals can do many things. They can dedicate themselves to learning more about the causes of homeless and work to remedy them. They can become active the political process, voicing support for changing policies and rules that contribute to poverty and create barriers that keep people from becoming economically self-sufficient. They can make a concerted effort to build a stronger partnership with both St. Joseph's and St. Paul's - getting to know the people that are served and the neighborhoods in which they reside. They can assist in serving meals and meeting other ongoing needs. They can keep homeless families and these ministries in their prayers. We as Conferences 10 and 11 can commit to continue working with these two faith partners and others on this issue, or other issues/concerns yet to be identified.

The project grew out of conversations among clergy in Conferences 10 and 11, which led to the appointment of a steering committee to get it going. Steering committee members are: Pastor Paul Axness, co-chair, Resurrection Lutheran; Dean Baer, Holy Trinity Lutheran; Julie Baird, Abounding Joy Lutheran, Pastor Leighton Carlson, Capitol Hill Lutheran; Pastor David Cline, co-chair, Grace Lutheran; Pastor Mike Housholder, Lutheran Church of Hope; Kay Kinkel, Southeastern Iowa Synod staff; Pastor Tim Maybee, New Life Lutheran; Pastor Rachel Mithelman, St. John's Lutheran; Pastor David Nerdig, Faith Lutheran; Pastor Patrick Quaid, Lutheran Church of Hope; Pastor Bob Solburg, Zion Lutheran; and Pastor Sharon Worthington, Grand View Lutheran.

Subsequently, the project has expanded and is now organized around tasks, with six task forces established. Task force members are lay and clergy from participating Conference 10 and 11 congregations. The task forces are:

• Education Awareness, to provide informational materials and speakers to congregations on homelessness in general, families in particular, and our response to it.
• Communication, to develop ideas for a project name, work with the education task force to provide materials, develop a website and work with local media to publicize what we're doing
• St. Joseph, to with shelter staff to develop a plan to improve property and estimate costs, develop work schedule and recruit electricians, plumbers, etc.
• St. Paul's AME, to with shelter staff to develop a plan to improve property and estimate costs, develop work schedule and recruit electricians, plumbers, etc.
• Funding and Grant Writing, to seek out a variety of funding resources and work to develop budgets.
• Liturgy and Celebration, to develop congregational resources to kick off the work and create a closing celebration focusing on the shelters, congregations working together and future partnerships.

Any interested individual from any Conference 10 and 11 congregation is welcome and needed. Task forces currently meet the third Thursday of each month. Location varies.
Individuals can keep current with action and conversation by visiting the blog "Des Moines Mission 2007" at http://dsmelca.wordpress.com/2006/11/30/blog-begins and viewing www.iowa.com (Iowa Events Calendar), where dates of upcoming meetings and activities will be posted.

Currently these member congregations of Conferences 10 and 11 (metro Des Moines) are participating:

• Abounding Joy Lutheran
• Capitol Hill Lutheran
• Center for Renewal
• Christ Lutheran
• Faith Lutheran
• Grace Lutheran
• Grand View Lutheran
• Holy Trinity Lutheran
• Luther Memorial
• Lutheran Church of Hope
• New Life Lutheran
• Resurrection Lutheran
• St. James Lutheran
• St. John’s Lutheran
• St. Peter Lutheran
• St. Stephen’s Lutheran
• Windsor Heights Lutheran
• Zion Lutheran

Conferences 10 and 11 are a subset of the Southeastern Iowa Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. They are comprised of ELCA congregations in the greater Des Moines region. There are 14 congregations in Conference 10 and 15 in Conference 11. Conference 10 includes Adel, Clive, Des Moines, Earlham, Grimes, Johnston, Urbandale, Waukee, West Des Moines, Windsor Heights and Winterset. Conference 11 covers Ankeny, eastern and southern Des Moines, Indianola, Martensdale and Norwalk.

St. Joseph Emergency Shelter is part of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Des Moines. It is currently the only shelter in Polk County where the entire family unit can stay together. Located at 1535 11th Street in Des Moines, St. Joseph's is large enough to provide safe, clean housing for five homeless families.

St. Joseph's welcomes children and whomever children bring. Its mission is to honor the humanity of each person by acknowledging the emotional and financial crisis involved when a family finds itself without housing or funds. They offer housing for a limited stay (30 days), three meals a day, laundry facilities and case management to assist guests in returning to self-sufficiency.

During the past two years (2005/2006), St. Joseph Emergency Family Shelter served 70 families, providing over 6,342 nights of shelter to over 267 men, women & children.

St. Paul's African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church is located at 1201 Day Street just north of I-235 in the Cheatom Park neighborhood of Des Moines. With a strong commitment to social ministry and outreach to the individuals and families who live in the church's neighborhood, St. Paul's AME recently purchased the three buildings of the former Good Samaritan Home at 1353 9th St. The church's goal is to use these facilities for transformational housing for individuals and families who are facing financial and other challenges. Through conversation with Des Moines area ELCA pastors, St. Paul's decided to designate one of these buildings for longer-term housing for homeless families, where they can stay for up to two years and receive the supports they need to get back on their feet and become financially self-sufficient.

Pastor Derek Bastian is the minister. One of his particular passions is ministering to individuals who are incarcerated as well as helping them and their families when they re-enter the community after being in prison.

The federal government defines homelessness as lack of a fixed and regular nighttime residence or a residence which is:

• A supervised shelter designed to provide temporary accommodations (such as a welfare hotel or congregate shelter.)
• A halfway house or similar institution that provides temporary residence for persons intended to be institutionalized.
• A temporary accommodation in the residence of another person.
• A place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings (a hallway, a bus station, a lobby, or similar places.)

This is open to wide speculation, but sociologists say the root causes for homelessness can be traced to lack of affordable housing, low paying and seasonal or unstable jobs, changes and cuts to public assistance programs, domestic violence, and insufficient medical and mental health care. Very few people choose to be homeless, the vast majority become homeless due to one or more financial crises. (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2001)
According to the 2005 Iowa Statewide Homeless Study, 1/5 or more (20%) of all homeless households reported these four circumstances leading up to their current homeless episode: 1) the inability to find affordable housing, 2) the closely related factor of eviction and foreclosure, 3) domestic violence, and 4) lost of employment (or continued unemployment).