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Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships Blog

  • Receiving Advisory Council Recommendations to End Human Trafficking

    Posted by Melissa Rogers on April 10, 2013 at 1:00 PM EDT

    Today we gladly and gratefully received a report from the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships with its recommendations for strengthening partnerships to combat human trafficking. The report is the product of months of work by a diverse and dedicated group of advisers on an issue President Obama has identified as “one of the great human rights causes of our time.” 

    The Advisory Council’s report will help support a larger campaign that is being waged by the Administration against human trafficking. Just yesterday, for example, the White House held a forum to highlight the significant progress it has made on these issues since President Obama’s speech at the Clinton Global Initiative in September 2012. The four elements of the Administration’s strategy include:

    1)    Preventing trafficking by raising awareness among vulnerable populations, leading by example, and educating the public and first responders;

    2)    Prosecuting traffickers through strengthened investigations and enforcement tools;

    3)    Protecting survivors through comprehensive social services, family reintegration, and immigration services; and

    4)    Partnering with civil society, state and local government, the private sector, and faith-based organizations to maximize resources and outcomes.   

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  • Building Partnerships to Eradicate Modern-day Slavery

    Posted by Susie Stern on April 10, 2013 at 11:55 AM EDT

    Modern-day slavery is one of the greatest human rights atrocities of our time. The scale and cruelty of this crime is truly unimaginable with an estimated 21 million people held in bondage through human trafficking every year. Every 30 seconds another person becomes a victim of human trafficking.

    Members of President Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships presented him with our report of recommendations on how together we can scale our partnerships to counter modern-day slavery.

    This Council gathered in July 2012, as leaders from diverse religious and non-profit backgrounds, to examine how we could collectively address the issue of human trafficking. We began this work then as strangers with little knowledge or in-depth understanding of the nature of human trafficking. We had little idea of how it was touching our own congregants and our own communities.

    Through our study and research on this issue, we quickly became impassioned by the scope and scale of human trafficking around the world, particularly right here in the United States. We had the opportunity to meet with and learn from amazing modern-day abolitionists, and survivors of trafficking, working to combat human trafficking both within and outside of government.

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  • Working Together for the Common Good

    Posted by Melissa Rogers on March 15, 2013 at 3:27 PM EDT

    I’m honored to be appointed as the director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.  As many of you know, the mission of the Office is to form partnerships between the federal government and non-profit organizations, both secular and faith-based, to more effectively serve Americans in need. 

    I look forward to continuing the office’s work with our faith-based and secular partners to help expand the middle-class and build our economy through improved access to  education, health care, and skills development. Another important task will be the continued implementation of the President Obama’s Executive Order that embodies common-ground reforms to strengthen these partnerships.  This is a crucial step in ensuring that our partnerships are consistent with our Constitution and values. 

    I also look forward to continuing the office’s work with the Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships as it finalizes its recommendations regarding ways to end human trafficking. 

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  • DOJ Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships Contributes to DC Public Safety Television Segment on Reentry

    Posted by Eugene Schneeberg on September 11, 2012 at 12:20 PM EDT

    I recently had the opportunity to contribute to a segment with Christine Keels, Supervisory Program Analyst and the Faith-Based Initiative Team Leader of Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA). The segment, named “Faith-Based Initiatives for Offender Reentry”, appeared on DC Public Safety Television and was a combined effort of my office and CSOSA.

    As the video explains, “the faith community has long been an important force in improving public safety, offender reentry, and victim services.  Many faith-based organizations are uniquely suited to bringing together residents and local leaders to address challenges.” Among these efforts, CSOSA has joined 100 faith institutions in a mentoring program for formerly incarcerated individuals—resulting in 200 mentors being matched with 300 mentees—and approximately 500 formerly incarcerated individuals have successfully completed the program since August 2007.

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  • HUD Focuses on the Food Desert Problem in D.C.

    Posted by Gayela Bynum on September 5, 2012 at 12:30 PM EDT

    On August 25th, 2012, the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD CFBNP) participated in a “Farmers Market: Food Desert” community outreach event to raise the awareness and importance of eating healthy and nutritious food. 

    The event, held at St. Elizabeths East Campus in the District of Columbia,  focused on bringing up and educating a healthier generation of kids in America focusing on the benefits of eating nutritious food. HUD CFBNP was happy to partner with the District of Columbia (D.C.) Ward 8 Farmer’s Market, the D.C. Office of Deputy Mayor Victor L. Hoskins, the HUD D.C. Field Office, America’s Miss D.C. Sarah Elizabeth Hillware, and executive chef, Dwayne Hickman of the Reef restaurant in Dupont Circle. Celebrated artist and founder of Sage of Anacostia, Melani Douglass also presented and spoke about the importance of cleaning food prior to eating or cooking it and how it relates to good health and well-being. 

    “Farmers Market: Food Desert” participants

    “Farmers Market: Food Desert” participants help raise the awareness and importance of eating healthy and nutritious food at a D.C. farmers market. (Photo by Michael Megginson)

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  • Fathers and Families Moving Forward in the Land of Enchantment

    Posted by Max Finberg on August 16, 2012 at 4:59 PM EDT

    The efforts to help dads be better dads got a big boost on August 10 at the second New Mexico Fatherhood Forum. Hosted by the New Mexico Alliance for Fathers and Families at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, this gathering highlighted the efforts of President Obama’s responsible fatherhood initiative and many others.

    The New Mexico Alliance brings together almost 20 organizations and agencies from around the state, in coordination with the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and the US Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services.  Led by Allan Shedlin, Crispin Clarke, Erwin Rivera, Esther Devall and others, the New Mexico Alliance continues to shine the spotlight on how government policies, community efforts and culture can all contribute to strengthening families through helping fathers.

    This is the second time interested parties from federal, state and local governments, civil society and others have gathered to highlight initiatives to help fathers.  Two years ago, we gathered in rural Valencia for the inaugural meeting.  Since then, the Alliance issued a comprehensive report of their recommendations and the New Mexico State Legislature passed a memorial designating August 10, 2012 as “New Mexico Fathers and Families Day.”  The theme continued to highlight the cultural traditions of Rural America, Hispanic and Native Americans.

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