Happy New Year from Lutheran Social Services! On behalf of our staff and clients, please accept our best wishes for a healthy and peaceful year. Read on for some terrific news!

LSS Receives Thrivent Foundation Grant
Grant Part of $4.8 million Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation initiative benefiting Lutheran non-profits

LSS of Northern California recently received a grant from the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation in support of its Building a Solid Foundation project, intended to assist LSS in partially funding a development director position and implementing a charitable giving campaign. The grant is one of 75 awarded by the Foundation as part of its $4.8 million Charitable Gifting Initiative, designed to educate and motivate Lutherans to express their faith and values through planned charitable giving. More details will follow!

Grant Award by the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
The LC-MS has awarded a $10,000 grant to Transitional Housing Program for Families and Building Bridges, a program in Sacramento that provides six months or longer of case management and supportive services to previously homeless individuals and families who graduate from one of Sacramento's transitional housing programs for homeless persons. The program seeks to prevent a return to homelessness by fostering the participant's personal and economic self-sufficiency by developing their own system of support and assistance and through community referral, advocacy, and financial assistance for security deposits, essential furnishings, and educational/employment-related expenses. We give thanks to the generosity of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod!

All That Jazz Update
HUGE THANKS to Thrivent Financial for Lutherans for providing a $10,000 match to our All That Jazz fundraiser. As of our final report of December 11, LSS had raised enough money to qualify for a $6,270 match from Thrivent, but Thrivent decided to award the full $10,000 of the Signature Event Challenge Grant because of the event’s success. Thrivent Signature Events are selected and supported by Thrivent financial representatives. John Kline was the lead representative for this event. We are very much honored to be in partnership with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans!

Disaster Response
LSS recently hired the Rev. Dr. Linda Boston as our Disaster Response Coordinator. Lutheran Social Services actively participates in the Northern California Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) group and is the northern California affiliate for disaster preparedness with Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR), which is affiliated with both the ELCA and the LCMS. Linda has prepared a Disaster Response List for congregations – you can find it here. Stay tuned for more resources and information!

National Conference on Ending Family Homelessness
The National Alliance to End Homelessness invites you to join them for the National Conference on Ending Family Homelessness on February 8-9, 2007. The conference will be held at the Oakland Marriott City Center in Oakland, CA. This introductory workshop will provide an overview of the strategies that are necessary to reduce family homelessness, including housing placement and stabilization services, prevention activities, affordable housing, and tailored services. For a complete conference agenda, online conference registration and hotel information, please click HERE.

This is an excellent opportunity for social ministry committees and human care committees to learn more about the policy aspects of this issue.

Lutheran Social Services plays a significant role in ending homelessness. Through our financial management programs in San Francisco, we help clients budget and ensure that paying their hotel rent is a priority so that they can avoid eviction.

Our housing programs in Oakland, Sacramento, San Francisco and Stockton provide shelter to formerly homeless individuals, families, and youth transitioning out of the foster care system. But our programs go further than providing simple housing -- our multi-faceted case management services empower our clients to eliminate the causes of homelessness in their lives, such as inadequate transportation and childcare, limited job skills and education, and alcohol and drug dependency.

We provide education on substance abuse and offer life skills classes dealing with parenting, budgeting, nutrition and anger management. We assist residents with writing resumes, connect them with employment centers, help them prepare for interviews, coach them in conflict management, and support them in the completion of their GEDs and enrollment in vocational/technical schools or colleges.

To learn more about the role of Lutheran Social Services in ending homelessness, please browse our website.

Second Mile Giving
For congregations in the Sierra Pacific Synod, February is the first month designated to Lutheran Social Services through the synod's Second Mile Giving program. (The second month is November.) LSS board and staff members are available to give a temple talk or lead an adult forum about our ministry. Please contact us if you'd like to schedule a visit -- and thanks in advance for your generosity!

The Katrina Assistance and Recovery Effort has served over 300 Katrina families in the East Bay. Please consider a donation today in support of its work.

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