WHAT IS VOICE: V.O.I.C.E. in NOVA (Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement in Northern Virginia) is a new, broad-based, non-partisan, multi-racial, multi-faith citizens' organization rooted in local congregations and other voluntary associations that is committed to make change on social justice issues affecting the lives of middle and low income residents in Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria, and Prince William.
1. AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS: As we heard from a retired worker who moved to Fairfax County after Katrina, it is very difficult to find affordable housing in Northern Virginia. Rents are high and even if you find a somewhat reasonable rent, next year it'll probably go up 50% or even 100%. Listening to him, many of us who have lived here for a while had to admit we couldn't really afford to "buy into" Northern Virginia's current prices.
Some of us know from our children how hard it is for teachers, firefighters, police, and nurses to find affordable housing in the counties they serve. But think also about all the folks who work in retail establishments, who do the semi-skilled manual labor jobs, and who hold two or three jobs each to support their family. They need affordable housing too! And we also need to think about those who have become homeless for whatever reason; everyone deserves a decent place to live in some of the most prosperous cities and counties in the U.S.
The Issues: We challenge our local, state, and federal representative to turn the tide and stop the loss at all levels of affordable housing in Northern Virginia.
2. IMMIGRATION: In spite of recently raising the fee for a legal immigrant to apply for citizenship, there is an huge backlog in the Northern Virginia area of applications for citizenship. We are told the backlog averages 15 months (compared to around 6 in other areas of the U.S.).
However, as we heard from a member of one of our neighboring faith communities, he has been waiting patiently for years and years. Only after he became armed with information from attending a VOICE meeting did he question why his paperwork wasn't being processed; but surprise, as soon as he asked, they said it finally had been.
The Issues: Legal immigrants who want to become citizens and are qualified shouldn't face more obstacles just because they live in Northern Virginia. Our elected representatives need to find out what is going on and push for it to be fixed. At the same time, they need to provide expanded opportunities for more recent immigrants to learn English so they can become part of our society just like our own immigrant grandparents and great-grandparents did.
3. ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE: Medical evidence increasingly points to significant links between dental health and overall physical health. However, as we heard from our own Adrianne Bustamante, getting dental services in Northern Virginia if you're on a fixed or low income is very difficult and very expensive. The few dental services available to folks who aren't fortunate enough to have dental insurance have long, long waiting lists for services -- even if you need a tooth taken out ASAP!
The Issues: For less than $100,000 (shared by the Northern Virginia jurisdictions), our representatives could almost immediately increase the number of folks the Northern Virginia Dental Clinic serves by 30%! With that, the next step would be a comprehensive plan to expand services.
NEXT STEPS: October 5th, you are invited to join us along with over 1,500 folks from other Northern Virginia congregations to raise our VOICEs and tell our elected representatives (local, state, and federal) that we want ACTION on these issues!
