This year’s IMPACT work has been tremendously exciting: we’re tackling some thorny, systemic problems, and we’re able to do it because our organization keeps growing! We now have 26 member congregations with healthy internal networks, and we’re proud to say that this is one of the most deeply interfaith projects in Virginia: our numbers include Quakers, Muslims, Baha’is, the Insight Meditation Community, Mennonites, members of the Jewish community, UUs, and many Christian denominations. This gives us an unprecedented amount of people power, and allows us to be a force for positive change in our community. Here’s what we’re working on this year:
- Pushing for a fully-funded affordable housing trust fund in both Charlottesville and Albemarle County.
- Taking a climate-forward approach to transit, making the bus system easier to use and making the bus fleet greener
- Helping the city and county schools provide full-day care for preschool students
- A new initiative lead headed by Spanish speakers (and conducted primarily in Spanish) to ensure safer, healthier living conditions for low-income residents.
IMPACT’s past victories have included:
- The creation of the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Trust Fund that has spurred the development of a substantial number of affordable housing units in Charlottesville.
- The Women’s Treatment Center at Moore’s Creek, which provides residential substance abuse treatment for women and allows them to bring their small children
- Reversing the jail’s policy of making “courtesy calls” to ICE when they interact with undocumented residents, a policy which had resulted in people being deported after minor infractions like traffic stops.
- The creation of a free dental clinic for patients who couldn’t otherwise afford care.
We’re so grateful to the members at UU Cville who support IMPACT with their generous personal pledges, through the social action collection, through participation in our work and by attending house meetings and the Nehemiah Action! Please join us for this year’s Action at 6:30 PM on March 21st at the MLK Performing Arts Center (and on Zoom), where we’ll push our public officials to make a commitment to help move our issues forward.
With gratitude,
Kelsey & Hayley (Co-Chairs)