Pras Lives Life As Homeless Man, in "First Night" Documentary

I think I like Karl Malone's solution better.

I love Lauryn's rapping and her singing on this Wanna Be Fugees track. ANd just saw the Feb Essence article. Whoa. She's back, and (at least judging by the outfits), seemingly over her fundie period.

I say yougogirl to Pras. He's risking embarrassment! That's always a good thing in my book. And for a great cause!

Is "Take It Easy" their old "new" track?

I'm a director at Concordia University in Austin, Texas. We are coordinating a conference this summer for High School Students on hidden homelessness and housing poverty. I'd like to refer you to our web site. www.concordia.edu, click on academics, then go to service-learning to find our more about our conference and concert. How I would love to show this movie at our conference. I'm expecting 150 high school students from across Texas and Loiusiana. Can this be arranged? Can this Rapper come to our event and share is experiences? 512-486-1325. The conference is June 24-25th, 2006.

I watched the interview on CNN about PRAS documentary "First Night" about the homeless. I am a member of St Johns Methodist Church Downtown, in Houston, TX.I was wondering if anyone that is involved in the documentary can send a donation to my church for a project that involves the homeless. Pastor Rudy and Pastor Juanita Rasmus are building a homeless shelter that cost approximately $4,000,0000, that will house the homeless. I have attached the information about this shelter below. I will like to thank you for doing the documentary and if you can help our church build this legacy it will be appreciated by the entire congregation.

Fact Sheet
Homelessness is anyone living in inhabitable conditions, with friends and/or relatives, in a shelter or on the street. There were 12,000-14,000 people homeless in the Houston area before the hurricanes. That number has approximately doubled since the two devastating hurricanes months ago. Did you know that 41% of Houston’s homeless population consists of families with children?

The plan is based on the May 2005 report by the Houston/Harris County Commission “To End Chronic Homelessness,” which includes these and other premises as follows:

Permanent housing is the goal of all programs that serve the homeless and those who are at risk of homelessness;

Houston Models should assume that individuals are homeless for a variety of reasons, respond to individualized interventions and that homelessness is eliminated one individual at a time;

The most direct causes of homelessness are: 1) poverty; 2) a lack of service-enhanced housing infrastructure; and 3) lack of affordable housing

Factors that place a person at risk for homelessness are generational poverty, and situational poverty, which can be caused by any of the following: substance abuse; mental health disorders; medical condition; aging out of foster care; unsupported release from prison or jail; re-entry from military service and experiencing domestic violence, just to name a few.

Statistics

Of the 2,294 respondents sampled in the Houston/Harris County Commissions survey “To End Chronic Homelessness,” 1,590 are currently homeless. Of that sampling 980 were homeless 1 year ago and 626 were homeless 5 years ago.

Respondents were asked the reason they lost their last stable residence? Their responses were as follows: 53% to job loss (59% were males); 6% family member unemployed; 4.8% could not pay rent; 11% disability; 2.6% HIV/AIDS; 9% domestic violence; 20.9% evicted; 26.3% drug/alcohol use; 4.3% flood (prior to Hurricane Katrina and Rita) and 1.1% due to fire.

Approximately 64% or two-thirds of homeless persons sampled are African American. This is more than a 3-fold representation since African Americans are only 18% of the population in Houston/Harris County.

Our Campaign Goal
To raise $4,000,000.00 - Church Family Goal (10%):$400,000.00

It is a very bold initiative, but it is the kind of effort we believe is required to provide housing and assistance to those devastated by Katrina’s three-state wide swath of destruction. We are seeking funds from our church family, individuals and corporations to help build our emergency shelter and an affordable housing component for long term stability.

Dear Church Family:
First I want to thank you for your support of the mission and ministry of St. John’s Downtown. It is because of you that we are making a meaningful impact in and on our community.

As we begin our 2006-2007 Capital Fundraising Campaign, We want you to know that we are humbled to be your pastors and appreciate you more than you know. When we reflect on God’s goodness towards us we are filled with gratitude. When we think about what God wants to do for us and through us, we are filled with anticipation. With the Capital Campaign, God is opening new doors of opportunity for our church and outreach ministry, the Bread of Life.

Our campaign’s prevailing theme is, “Leaving a Legacy: Housing First.” It is our belief that deep down inside we all want to live lives of significance having made a difference in the world.

What excites me now is that you can make a difference and be a part of “Leaving a Legacy: Housing First.” This theme challenges us to do the extraordinary, to give “over and above” sacrificially, for the next year.

St. John’s Downtown and the Bread of Life are committed to restoring families by restoring individuals. Through “Leaving a Legacy” we will do this by providing housing and assistance for those in need. With the success of this campaign we will be able to play a major role in ending homelessness in the Houston area and prayerfully be a model for the world to duplicate. How exciting to know that the God of miracles is doing it again- performing a miracle for our church! And in addition to that:

Our families get to see it,

Thousands are going to know it,

We can have a part in it,

The devil can’t stop it,

And God will get all the glory!

Please spend some time reading through the enclosed fact sheet, which introduces the purpose of our Leaving a Legacy: Housing First campaign. Then pray, asking God to reveal his plan for your participation. It is an opportunity to know in a fresh way the blessing which come through giving. Jesus said, “Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over…” (Luke 6:38).

We have made our commitment and personal gift to this program. Won’t you join us? Catch the vision, take up the challenge, and make a prayerful choice to make a financial investment which will allow the St. John’s family to reach increasing numbers for Jesus Christ. Join us in Leaving a Legacy.

We love you and there is nothing you can do about it,

Pastors Rudy and Juanita Rasmus

For additional information please contact our Finance Department at 832.214.4039 or email donations@stjohnsdowntown.org.