joshua_issues page

This issue is tied to Diversity in Our Schools. When low-income students are separated from other students, their chance of success diminishes greatly. The best way to keep our schools diverse is to make our neighborhoods diverse, because if neighborhoods and housing developments are economically diverse, the schools will have a good mix of students as well. Economic diversity in a community can open doors of opportunity to all. JOSHUA believes people should be able to afford to live in the communities where they work, and that any form of segregation hurts everyone.

In February 2006, JOSHUA launched a Workforce Housing Task Force. We invited people from local government, business, Homebuilders Association and other community groups to come together to look for ways to improve the availability of housing for all sectors of our community.

Click here to view who is part of our Workforce Housing Task Force

Treatment Instead of Prison (TIP)

Because we value compassion, JOSHUA supports Treatment Instead of Prison (TIP.) We believe we are called to treat every person the way that we would want to be ourselves to be treated if we fell into similar trouble. And, because we value good stewardship, we support TIP because it saves tax dollars. Communities can be made safer by dealing with underlying causes of crime. We believe that TIP is fair; we believe it is a way to be "smart on crime," rather than just being tough; we believe that now is the time for Wisconsin to invest in treatment alternatives to incarceration.

In July 2005, JOSHUA's state-wide umbrella organization, WISDOM, finally achieved the first-fruits of their efforts on behalf of nonviolent drug and alcohol offenders. The budget passed by the Wisconsin legislature in July provides grant money for counties to create programs for people who need drug and alcohol treatment to get their lives back on track, rather than being short-circuited by incarceration. JOSHUA's TIP Committee has begun efforts to encourage the creation of a pilot Drug Treatment Court Project in Brown County. The Coordinating Council for this pilot program will include people from the court system, law enforcement, the Department of Corrections, and other community groups and agencies.

> TIP PROGRAMS RECEIVE MORE THAN $1 MILLION!!

Posted October 9, 2006

Seven counties ( Milwaukee, Washington, Dane, Rock, Wood, Washburn and Burnett) along with the St. Croix tribe will benefit from more than $1 million in grants that will divert non-violent offenders from jail or prison and into treatment programs. The counties and the state estimate that the programs being funded will save taxpayers more than $4 million in incarceration costs in 2007. The primary cost savings will be to counties, as jail populations are reduced.

The 2006 portion of the state budget called for approximately $750,000 to be allocated for Treatment Alternatives and Diversion (TAD) grants to Wisconsin counties. Earlier in the year, the program seemed to be in jeopardy because the funding mechanism identified in the legislation was not producing the needed money. Matt Frank, Secretary of the Department of Corrections assured a group from WISDOM in the summer of 2006 that he and Governor Doyle would find a way to fund the program. In fact, the total amount given in TAD grants in 2006 will be more than $1 million. The state has also set aside money to help several counties to establish Day Reporting Centers, and has helped to fund Drug Treatment courts. In all, the state’s financial commitment to Treatment Instead of Prison (TIP) has neared $2 million in 2006!!

Wisconsin Organizations Supporting TIP have called for the state of Wisconsin to allocate $22 million per year for treatment alternatives in the 2007-09 budget. This would fund creative programs in every county and would result in a net savings to taxpayers of more than $40 million.

For more info: www.TipWis.org

> "Coming Home to Stay" - A forum about promoting success for those returning home from prison was held on November 28 at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Green Bay. The forum was co-sponsored by JOSHUA & members of the Brown County Corrections Relations Board. It was a very successful event with about 80 people attending. The audience was a good mix of people from JOSHUA congregations and from the broader community. The program started out with some comments from Rev. Joe Ellwanger. Joe is from Milwaukee and helped get JOSHUA started 5 years ago. He is currently the State Coordinator of the Treatment Instead of Prison (TIP) campaign, and he talked about why it's key to get communities involved in supporting people who are returning home from prison. The forum panel was made up of Charles Thomas, an inmate at Sanger Powers Corredctional Center soon to be relaeased to live in Brown County; Orrie Kotecki, an agent from the Division of Community Corrections; Bob Williams, a volunteer in prison ministry; and facilitator,Jim Golembeski, Director of the Bay Area Workforce Development Board. Following the panel presentation, there was a question and answer period that went on for almost an hour, testifying to the interest and concern generated by this issue. Many people signed up afterwards to become more involved with the Community Circles of Support project set to begin early in 2007. The forum demonstrated how our community can benefit when faith communities partner with a diverse range of individuals & other groups.

For more information on how to be part of a Circle of Support, contact Jim Golembeski at 431-4102 or...Click here for a brochure about the new Brown County Restorative Justice program.

Human Rights of Immigrants

Each of us, unless we are Native American, is an immigrant or the product of immigrant ancestors. However, we continually see negative headlines and signs of intolerant attitudes towards immigrants and refugees in our local community, in our state and in our nation. Fear and ignorance may keep us from welcoming our brothers and sisters with love.

On the national level, U.S. immigration laws and policies are in desperate need of reform. In October 2005, members of the Immigration Committee met with U.S. Rep. Mark Green to urge him to support humane immigration reform legislation that is consistent with our values. We do not condone violation of the law. We are concerned, however, that the existing immigration system has made it nearly impossible for hard-working people seeking employment to support their families or even to enter this country legally.

It is our prayer that the legislative process will produce a fair immigration system of which our nation, a nation of immigrants, can be proud and that the immigrants in our local communities will be welcomed with a spirit of true hospitality.

The Importance of Socio-Economic Diversity in Green Bay Schools

JOSHUA values equal opportunity for all children, and we believe that racial and economic diversity in our schools is a positive value for all. Members of JOSHUA attended and spoke at several special forums sponsored by the Board of Education on the issue of the proposed new high school, to support the East Side Task Force Proposal which would ensure diversity at the new school and in the existing schools. We were happy that the plan was approved by the School Board in November, 2005.

We applaud the Task Force, the Board of Education, and the School District Administration for their recognition that socio-economic balance in our schools will have a direct impact on student achievement.

Click here for the JOSHUA positioning statement.

Click here for a statement from the Green Bay School district about the importance of a mix of students.

Mental Health Services in Brown County

JOSHUA has selected mental health as an important issue due to our belief that the most vulnerable persons in our community have the right to receive a responsible program of care and services. Moreover, we wish to ensure that those most challenged-both mentally and physically-are guaranteed quality care, whether State mandated or not.

With the above being said, we believe that the Brown County Mental Health Center provides an essential safety net and workplace activity center-both for those individuals who have transferred to the community, and also for those who cannot make the transfer. This also applies to adolescents who are receiving services at Bellin Psychiatric Center. A major challenge that exists today, which compromises the quality care individuals receive, is the continued delay in renovating or building a new mental health center. As members of JOSHUA, we wish to work with individuals and organizations, to advocate for essential and responsible human services in Brown County.

To download a JOSHUA statement on the future of the Mental Health Center, click here. (Word file.)

Environment

Protecting and preserving the environment is fundamental to life here on Earth; it is also an inherent responsibility for people of faith. Environmental concerns touch many realms, from obvious concerns for the physical environment including climate change, air and water pollution, bio-diversity, and preservation of forests and arable land to concerns that are less obvious but unarguably tied to the environment, including economic stability, public health, and environmental justice across ethnic and economic lines.

Our consumption and reliance on fossil fuels is just one of our environmental concerns. Fossil fuel emissions contribute to asthma attacks, heart and lung disease, mercury poisoning, and global climate change. This year, the JOSHUA Environmental Committee, in response to home-heating concerns, co-sponsored an educational Energy Forum on state grants available to weatherize homes and conserve energy. In an effort to protect those state grants and positively shape Wisconsin's energy future, we also submitted written comments at a public hearing in the State Capitol on Wisconsin's newly drafted Energy Bill, which encouraged legislators to think about a long-term plan that would move Wisconsin towards a cleaner, more reliable energy future based on conservation, efficiency, and new sources of renewable energy.

As people of faith, we must strive to be good stewards of the land and all that it contains. We have the obligation to do what we can within our communities and neighborhoods, including taking personal responsibility for actions that harm or help the environment; educating our neighbors, friends, family members, and colleagues; and working to enact good public policy by communicating our concerns to local decision-makers.