Blog - Page 2 of 15 - Faith in the Valley

Want to Help Fix the Affordable Housing Crisis? Learn From Vienna’s Social Housing Model

October 27, 2022
Faith in the Valley
Blog

What would it take to solve the housing crisis for the Central Valley (and California as a whole)? Many of the answers are in Vienna, Austria. Since 2009, Vienna has been ranked 10 times as the most livable city in…

Faith & Justice Revival - Rev. Dr. Frederick Douglass Haynes III

Dr. Frederick D. Haynes: ‘Use Your Faith to Construct Justice, Not Just Do More Charity’

How can we create a better Central Valley where faith and justice can be used to help the people who need it the most? This is the question that the Rev. Dr. Frederick Douglass Haynes III—a prophetic pastor, passionate leader,…

Organizers hold a protest in Fresno to stand up for the unhoused.

In a Victory for Organizing and Free Speech, Judge Blocks Ordinance That Punishes People Who Stand Up for the Unhoused

The ordinance represents the intensifying war against unhoused people occurring all over California. “Every day someone is being swept off the road. They are being told to relocate and they are losing everything they have and being arrested.”

A Faith in the Valley summer camp student shows off her project.

Kids and Communities Thrive in our Arts, Climate and Music Summer Programs

During the six week program, we have been working with 20 campers—ranging in age from 5 to 22—to expose them to climate issues such as air quality inequity, environmental toxins and our fragile ecosystem. Campers are also learning about community organizing. “One of the things that has been most fascinating is watching the kids take something that they are passionate about and understand, like the video game ‘Among Us,’ and applying it to what they are learning about climate justice."

A Black father celebrates with his daughter at a festival, a common scene at many Juneteenth celebrations. (Photo by Glodi Miessi on Unsplash)

Juneteenth: A Sacred Invitation

June 17, 2022
Faith in the Valley
Blog

Spring to early summer brings us many beautiful sacred days and seasons pulling us into encounters with the Holy. Our sacred traditions move us to return to that which grounds us and shapes us and forms us into better neighbors,…

AAPI Heritage Month: Pastor Wangki Xiong

This AAPI Heritage Month, Let’s Honor Leaders Like Pastor Wangki

Pastor Wangki, of Trinity Christian Church in Merced, works to support the Southeast Asian community as they face language barriers, information barriers, transportation barriers, and the threat of anti-Asian racism in their daily lives.

Marcel Woodruff: "Mass policing and mass incarceration do not create safer communities."

Gang Sweep Today, More Crime Tomorrow: Fresno’s Inability to Deal With Root Causes

Mass policing and mass incarceration do not create safer communities. Instead, we must move to fully examine the root causes of criminal activity and violence and commit to dismantling the social determents that drive these behaviors.

Najeeba Syeed on How to Reclaim Healing, Resolve Conflict and Prevent Violence in the Community

In this Justice Revival Lecture, we invited Professor Najeeba Syeed to lead a discussion with us about how to explore models of justice that place agency and power in the hands of the community. Najeeba is the first director of…

Board Profile: Michael Baldwin

March 8, 2022
Faith in the Valley
Blog

Michael Baldwin is a member of Faith in the Valley’s Board of Directors and resides in Stanislaus County. In 2018, after serving 26 years of a double-life sentence, Michael settled in Modesto to use his life experience to bring healing…

Unhoused Voices Prompt Investment in Housing Solutions in Central Valley Communities

Faith in the Valley joined a coalition of partners who are following the lead of the unhoused community to bring needed housing solutions to the Central Valley, uniting students, unhoused community members, clergy and residents.