Grant from UMCOR Helps 9/11 Victims in Virginia

Date: January 23, 2003

Some of the hidden victims of September 11 live in the Route One Corridor just south of Washington. They are minimum-wage earners who cleaned motel rooms, served food in the restaurants, worked in shops catering to tourists at Mount Vernon and other attractions, or drove taxis to nearby Reagan National Airport. After the attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, tourist trade dropped dramatically, taking jobs with it.

Rising Hope United Methodist Church, established in 1996 to bring "spiritual and material relief" to those in need along the Route One Corridor, has offered help to these secondary victims of 9/11. About 60 percent of its current 90 members are homeless or have been homeless at some point.

"Almost immediately, we knew that this [Sept. 11] was going to have an effect, particularly on the community we serve," the Rev. Keary Kincannon, told United Methodist News Service. What they didn't realize until later, he said, was how the attack on the Pentagon would contribute to a broader economic downturn. "There are still people coming in who relate to us that they haven't been able to find work since 9/11."

With financial assistance from the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), Rising Hope and other churches and programs in Northern Virginia can continue to respond to those seeking help. The United Methodist Church in Northern Virginia will disburse nearly $1 million from UMCOR's "Love in the Midst of Tragedy" 9/11 fund. Six organizations will receive grants, to be allocated over a three-year period. The largest amount, $383,400, goes to Grace Ministries, a community outreach program aimed at the Hispanic community. Its focus will be on monthly food and clothing distribution, rent assistance, job training and re-training, worship in Spanish and pastoral counseling.

The second largest allocation, $251,562, is to Rising Hope, where Laura Derby, church administrator and grant writer, noted that the number of homeless people in the Route One Corridor has jumped by 25 percent in the past four years. Many live in the woods or in their cars. The number of families coming in each week for food and clothing has increased significantly in the past few months. At the same time, Rising Hope has experienced a drastic reduction in food contributions. The money from UMCOR will allow the church to purchase food when necessary, as well as hire a part-time employee to investigate and coordinate donations from food banks and other donors and recruit volunteers. Funds also will allow Rising Hope to deal with specific client needs, Derby said, such as getting someone into the mental health system or into job training, providing needed transportation or paying for a utility bill or month's rent.

Another result of the Sept. 11 aftermath, the growing need for legal assistance to immigrants, is being addressed through the Northern Virginia Board of Missions/Immigration and Legal Services Task Force, a joint effort of the Arlington and Alexandria districts. Its grant of $162,000 will be used to provide legal counseling and representation through the Just Neighbors Ministry program.

A comprehensive post-Sept. 11 survey of immigrants along Route One showed a need for additional English-as-a-second-language classes. ESL & Immigrant Ministries, a program that provides English classes to low-income immigrants, will receive $94,230 for its work. Currently, the program has more than 300 volunteers teaching classes at 19 United Methodist churches in Northern Virginia.

Two other organizations also benefit from UMCOR's grant. B-District Hispanic Ministries, a subgroup of the Virginia Annual Conference Hispanic Task Force, will use its $48,600 allocation to provide food, medical and rent assistance to Hispanic immigrants in need. Route One Neighborhood Shalom Organization/Phoenix Rising will receive $33,400 for its weekend food program. Phoenix Rising was created in 2001 to address the lack of food services on weekends, when traditional community kitchens and food programs are closed.

Three months after the Phoenix Rising's volunteers began delivering nutritious bagged meals to homeless people living along Route One, the Sept. 11 attacks occurred. Soon after, the number of deliveries jumped from 50 to 120. Recipients also began asking for assistance in other ways. The organization will use grant money from UMCOR to purchase food to help supplement current donations, to provide indigent families with printed materials about the county's social services, and to offer opportunities for one-on-one case management support.

How to Help Through UMCOR

UMCOR 9/11 Update September 2004: UMCOR's response to the aftermath of September 11 continues. We thank are thankful for all of contributions that United Methodists and others have so generously given.

Source: United Methodist News Service.