Outreach at St. James'
St. James’ has had a longstanding relationship with Faith In Action (FIA), a social services agency based in Chelsea and Dexter. We regularly donate items for their food pantry and to their annual programs that support families at the beginning of the school year, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Members of our congregation have served on their board of directors, volunteered in their food pantry, and participated in their annual fundraising dinner and auction. We routinely look for opportunities to support their mission of providing essential support to alleviate the effects of hunger and poverty in our community. Below are two outreach projects in which we are involved with FIA.
Our Mission House
Since 2012 St. James’ has been using the Mission House (previously the rectory) for people in need of transitional housing while they look for more permanent housing. Our first tenants were victims of the tornado that tore through Dexter in the spring of 2012, who needed a place to stay while their house underwent repairs. Tenants since then have stayed anywhere from a few months to several years. In some cases they have paid rent from their own financial resources; in other instances rent has been paid by an insurance company or a church and, and for one family, St. James’ covered the rent for a period of time.
Beginning in the next few months, FIA will be leasing the house to use as temporary housing for their homeless clients in Dexter—i.e., to house clients for a few days (several weeks at the most) while arrangements are made for a longer-term housing solution.
Furnishing an apartment at Hilltop View
Hilltop View Apartments, the Avalon Housing and Faith in Action housing collaboration in Dexter, is a 24-unit complex that includes six apartments for veterans, nine rental apartments (based on income), and nine apartments for housing insecure families. St. James' recently raised funds and donations to completely furnish one of the two-bedroom apartments at Hilltop.