Texas Faith in Action 1996 PDF

FAITH IN ACTION . . .
A NEW VISION FOR CHURCH-STATE

COOPERATION IN TEXAS
ON
G O V E R N O R S A D V I S O RY T A S K F O R C E
F A I T H - B A S E D C O M M U N I T Y S E RV I C E G R O U P S
F U L L R E P O RT
D E C E M B E R 1996
MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNORS

ADVISORY TASK FORCE
The Task Force Members support
the recommendations contained in this Report*:
Rev. Msgr. Dermot N. Brosnan
D.R. Duke Millard III*
Margaret K. Brown Dudar
Dr. G. Dean Posey
Rev. Freddie Garcia
Mary Como Randall
Brother Cecil Hawkins
Elizabeth Darling Seale
Chaplain Gilbert Herrera
Rev. Coby Shorter III
Gerald Jimenez
Lt. Colonel Jack Waters
J. Herbert Meppelink
Fred S. Zeidman
Dr. Thomas W. Currie III, Chairman
i
Task Force Members
* Task Force member Delton Brazell supports the recommendations contained in

this Report as to publicly-funded providers, but would prefer complete exemption from state licensing and oversight for religious social ministries that receive
no public funds. Mr. Brazell believes that licensing is tantamount to state sovereignty, does not necessarily ensure quality care, and unduly subordinates the
church to government control. Mr. Millard also supports the substance of this
Report (i.e., the First Principles, recommendations, and policy options). He takes
no position with regard to the remainder of the Report.
GOVERNORS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON

FAITH-BASED COMMUNITY SERVICE GROUPS
December 1996
The Honorable George W. Bush
Governor of Texas
State Capitol
Austin, Texas 78711
Dear Governor Bush:
On behalf of the Governors Advisory Task Force on Faith-Based Community
Service Groups, it is my high honor to present you with the Task Forces final
report, FAITH IN ACTION: A New Vision for Church-State Cooperation.
The plight of needy Texans poses an urgent challenge for our State. Empowering
faith-based charities should be an indispensable component of Texas ongoing
efforts to meet that need. The Task Force agrees with you that churches should
not be viewed as appendages of the state. The strength of the faith community is
its ability to instill values and alter behavior, not its ability to be a conduit or surrogate for government social programs.
What ails our distressed neighbors demands better prescriptions than greater
funding or programmatic tinkering. We must think anew about first principles,
because only a fresh and renewed understanding of societys building blocks
individuals, mediating institutions, and government can lead to accurate
understanding and fruitful reform.
In addressing the important items raised in your executive order, our 16-member Task
Force held four meetings, heard from hundreds of Texans via phone, letter, and public testimony, and engaged in intense study and discussions, all aimed at determining
how Texas can best create an environment in which these organizations can flourish.
The following Report was a collaborative effort. Every member of this Task Force
each bringing expertise and a unique perspective was part of a team dedicated to
finding better ways to help their fellow Texans. The Report certainly does not
embody 100 percent convergence of opinions. What the Report does embody is people of faith involved in deep and serious discussion with one another. Our wrestling
was not designed to produce pat answers, but a new direction.
This Report is only a beginning. We hope our efforts will be a springboard for
continued reflection on todays urgent public questions. We also hope that this
Report will serve as an illuminating guide to other states as they, like Texas, strive
to render effective compassion.
We applaud you for your leadership on this critical issue, and thank you for the
honor of letting us serve our fellow citizens of this great State.
Respectfully submitted,
Thomas W. Currie III

Task Force Chairman
ii
Letter from the Chairman
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Governors Advisory Task Force on Faith-Based Community Service Groups gratefully acknowledges all those who provided information, observations, and prayer to aid our
deliberations.
The Task Force received thoughtful assistance from countless individuals and many
organizations throughout Texas and, indeed, across the nation. Obviously, to highlight some
would inevitably mean neglecting others; however, we do wish to offer our sincere thanks to
many people whose insights proved to be invaluable contributions to this Report. Without
such assistance, a project of this importance and scope would have been much tougher.
We offer our sincere gratitude to:
the numerous Texas citizens and organizations who wrote letters, sent faxes,
and made phone calls bringing their concerns to the Task Force;
the state agencies who followed the Task Forces work, offered expert
testimony, and assisted in analyzing the issues;
Professor Marvin Olasky of the University of Texas at Austin;
Professor Stephen V. Monsma of Pepperdine University;
Professor Carl Esbeck of the University of Missouri Law School;
Tom Kemper, Director of the Oklahoma Commission Children and Youth,
who served as facilitator for the Task Force;
Stanley Carlson-Thies and The Center for Public Justice;
the Texas Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service for design
and layout of this Report and the Texas Workforce Commission for printing the report;
; and
the various other organizations, experts, and others across Texas and the
nation who provided thoughtful suggestions and technical expertise.
The Task Force also extends its special appreciation to the many interested citizens who
attended the meetings of the Task Force ... and especially to all of those who participated in the
public hearing to share their personal stories and testimonies with the Task Force members.
iii
Acknowledgments
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction: A Vital Role For Religious Social Ministries
vi
First Principles: Governments Role in Texas Religiously Diverse Society
Seven Areas of Opportunity:

1.
The New Charitable Choice Act
4-6
Enlisting religious groups in Texas anti-poverty battle

2.
State Licensure and Contracting Generally
8-11
Recognizing private accreditation in lieu of state licensure and oversight

3.
Texas Children: Valuing Our Greatest Asset
12-14
Using alternative accreditation to encourage faith-based child-care providers

4.
Combating Crime and Substance Abuse
16-25
Enlisting the faith factor to promote a safer Texas

5.
Health Care
26-28
Increasing access by protecting medical volunteers

6.
Self-Help Initiatives and Community Development Corporations
30-32
Strengthening and empowering neighborhood self-help groups

7.
Congregations in Action
34-36
Innovative programming that makes a difference
Appendix
iv
Table of Contents
Government can hand out money, but it cannot

put hope in our hearts or a sense of purpose in
our lives. It cannot bring us peace of mind. It
cannot fill the spiritual well from which we draw
strength day to day. Only faith can do that.
Governor George W. Bush
v
FAITH IN ACTION: A New Vision for Texas
INTRODUCTION: A VITAL ROLE

FOR RELIGIOUS SOCIAL MINISTRIES
One person alone cannot do everything. But one person
alone can do something. We must all each and every one
of us be that one person, doing that something. As I travel Texas, I sense we are ready. People are seizing the
moment. They are not waiting for a government committee to
meet. They are helping each other, finding their own solutions to the problems plaguing [their] communities.
GOVERNOR GEORGE W. BUSH
The Failure of Traditional

Government-Intensive Answers
to Social Problems
Todays welfare system has fallen short of its original purpose. Since
the 1960s, America has spent $5.4 trillion on human service programs.
Yet, we have endured a 30-year rise in illegitimacy of 500 percent,
watched violent crime increase by 600 percent, and seen the number of
children on the welfare rolls swell from 3.3 million in 1965 to 9.6 million
in 1993. After three decades of unintended consequences, it is time to
shift our focus from compassionate intentions to compassionate results.
By one estimate, some 67 percent of

all federal welfare spending never
reaches the poor.
BEACON HILL INSTITUTE
More than 20 years after Richard John Neuhaus and Peter Berger wrote
To Empower People and first urged policymakers to encourage societys
mediating structures (e.g., families, churches, voluntary associations,
neighborhoods, etc.), Texas is heeding the call to energize those civilizing institutions that are neither market-driven nor government-run.
More and more, todays social policy debate revolves around what
Edmund Burke called the first principle . . . of public affection, civil
society, the little platoons that do the heavy lifting of shaping good citizens and that act as a buffer against cultural disintegration.
Congress New Model of Welfare Delivery:

New Challenges, New Opportunities
Congress decision to fundamentally reform the nations welfare system
portends an even greater need for robust cooperation between government and religious social ministries. For some time, policymakers have
been grappling with how to use nonprofit, faith-based groups to help
confront societys most pressing and intractable problems. The issue has
taken a new urgency with the passage of the new welfare reform bill, the
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996.
There is a growing consensus that a

declining civil society undermines
both civility and society.
U.S. SEN. DAN COATS
The Act contains a visionary charitable choice provision that invites

the privatization of welfare through private and religious charities. No
longer is government, as a Catholic leader once complained, seeking to
confine the church to only those activities carried on in a building with
a steeple on the roof.
vi
Introduction
Our nation, and state, are seeking a new approach rooted in the belief
that everyone in society all people of good will should help our
neediest citizens. This virtue, which rests at the heart of the Second
Commandments call to love your neighbor, is inseparable from the call
to love God. It is direct, personal, immediate; not something that can be
farmed out. Like the Good Samaritan, we are called to suffer with our
broken brothers and sisters, not to sub-contract with paid professional
substitutes. We are a land of citizens, not merely taxpayers.
By intervening directly and depriving
society of its responsibilities, the
social assistance state leads to a
loss of human energies and an inordinate increase of public agencies
which are dominated more by
bureaucratic ways of thinking than
by concern for serving their clients
and which are accompanied by an
enormous increase in spending.
POPE JOHN PAUL II
By any objective measure, one-on-one private and religious charities

(what Dr. Marvin Olasky calls downstairs philanthropy), are often
more effective, efficient and compassionate than government programs
at shaping and reclaiming lives. Why?
Theyre free to assert the essential connection between responsibility
and human dignity by requiring changed behavior in return for help.
Their approach is personal, not bureaucratic. Their service is not primarily a function of professional background, but of individual commitment.
They inject an element of moral challenge and spiritual renewal
that government programs cannot duplicate.
Co-Responsibility: The Shared Duties

of the State and Civil Society
What it means to be a compassionate people is a serious question. Not
too long ago, people believed that government had no meaningful role to
play in addressing social needs. Later voices urged the opposite view,
that government and a therapeutic elite should bear total responsibility for the poor; the public was merely to keep the checks coming. We
think both views are wrong.
What we are seeking is a new way.

Between the excessive individual
laissez-faire and the excessive collectivism of social democracy, there
remains to be discovered a new
third way a welfare society
whose pivot is less the state than the
civil society; and in which the states
method of operation is indirect by
way of strengthening civil society,
rather than direct by way of repressing it.
MICHAEL NOVAK
In our view, Texas social institutions have shared responsibilities.

Government cannot divest itself of all responsibility, but neither should it
cling to the statist belief that it has exclusive jurisdiction for the poor. The
view that relimiting government is sufficient to renew society is unrealistic. When civil society is atrophied, as today, we must respect the danger
of social dislocation. On the other hand, the nanny state view that
government is the poors primary resource weakens societys character-molding institutions. People in distress are not exclusively (or even
primarily) governments responsibility, and the faith community should
as prescribed by both the Old and New Testaments tend to peoples
temporal as well as heavenly needs. Cultural revival must largely take
place in our homes, churches, classrooms, associations, and communities.
We recognize that our impoverished neighbors are not just members of
the political community; theyre also members of several other communities, such as families, neighborhoods, churches, schools, etc. that lie
between a distant government and isolated individuals. Government
may be the largest community geographically speaking, but its hardly
capable or expansive enough to satisfy all our human needs; its extensive, not intensive. Non-government communities enjoy their own
unique purposes and abilities to meet human needs, and the political
communitys common good is affected by the good of these other communities.
vii
Introduction
Societys pluralistic nature, therefore, must guide our efforts to think
anew about the states proper role in social welfare matters. Put differently, as policymakers re-limit government, they must leave enough
social space for civil society to re-enter. They must aggressively take the
side of people and institutions that perform the tough, noble work of
restoration. While government cannot cure societal malfunction, it can
help lay the groundwork for recovery.
A New Vision: Governments Key Role

as an Enabler of Faith-Based Groups
Government shares responsibility for Texas needy with civil societys
other institutions. Faced with the threshold question what is governments proper role? we respectfully offer this suggestion: a cardinal mission should be to facilitate these mediating structures (e.g., families, schools, congregations, civic groups, voluntary associations) and
better enable them to serve society.
Texas now has greater leeway to fashion a welfare system that best
serves Texas. But devolution must mean more than just shuttling power
from Washington to Austin. Devolution and smaller government are
necessary, but insufficient, steps toward reforming society. Knowing
governments limits is no proxy for substantive policy. Structural reform
is fine, but we must ultimately seek to reform the recipients of welfare by
fostering what philosopher T.H. Green called the best self of a person.
At a minimum the state should adopt

as its own the first law of medicine:
First, do no harm. Here perhaps we
could borrow a page from the area
of environmental policy and require
that all welfare legislation be
accompanied by an Institutional
Impact Statement that aims to ascertain the legislations possible negative impact on the social ecology.
LUIS E. LUGO
We must move beyond devolution merely parsing duties between

different levels of government and embrace genuine reform that
sparks cooperation between government (at whatever level) and the
institutions of civil society. We must think anew about the relationship
between government and non-government, and, ultimately, vest power
beyond government back to individuals and social institutions. We must
offer a vision of rebuilding and remoralizing distressed communities, not through government, but through the ideals and civilizing institutions that nurture lives and transmit values.
Texas faces an important mission in trying to help, not displace, the
institutions of civil society. Dynamic cooperation between government
and faith-based charities, far from offending our principles, does much to
honor our time-honored spirit of religious liberty. Ignoring this principle
of co-responsibility does immense harm both to the institutions of civil
society and to the intended beneficiaries of social programs. This is
about letting churches, synagogues, mosques, etc. do what Scripture
requires to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and heal the sick.*
The distribution of power within government is less important than the

redistribution of power beyond government.
DR. WILLIAM J. BENNETT,
U.S. SEN. DAN COATS
A generation of inertia means that societys crucial institutions wont

magically spring forth reborn. Usurped community resources, like physical ones, become depleted when theyre not used. Government may
have helped undermine civil society, but its retreat cannot alone resurrect
it. Well-considered measures must help coax and nurture these institutions back to health. Its easy to talk about what government shouldnt
do, but quite another to outline a vision of how to replenish and enable
our States rich untapped resources.
* The Task Force recognizes that the faith community is a diverse one that
includes all major religions. As used in this Report, the word church is a general
term to include all places of worship (e.g., synagogues, mosques, etc.).
viii
Introduction
Principles of Fruitful Church-State Cooperation

As we try to reawaken effective compassion not only in welfare policy, but also in education, health care, drug treatment, and family matters
we need a clear understanding of what we should and should not
expect from faith-centered charities.
Loving our neighbors as we love ourselves ranks second only to loving
God entirely, according to Jesus
summary of the Law of God
(Matthew 22:37-40). Gods people in
the Old Testament are continually
reminded that even as God had come
to their aid when they were
oppressed, they are to be merciful to
the needy around them. Serving
those who need help is such a central aspect of truly knowing God that
Proverbs can say, kindness shown
to the poor is an act of worship
(14:31). Similarly, in the New
Testament we are instructed that
taking care of orphans and widows
in their distress is an important
aspect of pure and faultless religion (James 1:27). Throughout the
Bible, helping the helpless is a central theme, a bright thread.
STANLEY W. CARLSON-THIES
In some cases, the best thing government can do is get out of your
way and let you do what you do best
provide loving, nurturing help to
those who need it most.
The following principles should inform our efforts to foster churchstate cooperation:
Government should not woo faith-based nonprofits into aiding the poor
just because theyre socially useful. Churches should not be viewed
as mere appendages of the state. Such an attitude, says Father
Neuhaus, is, in fact, a kind of blasphemy. Faith-based institutions have their own distinct mission and should never be looked
upon as mere annexes of the state.
Churches cannot save all Texans from poverty or be the sole safety net
supplier. Religious groups dont have a monopoly on improving
peoples lives, nor the resources. They cannot be expected miraculously to fill a huge government-shaped void. Over-reliance
invites disappointment.
The faith community should reject the mindset that the poor belong
exclusively to the government. The role of religious charities is frontand-center, not merely auxiliary to whatever government does.
Cooperation cannot mean enlisting faith-based groups in ways that
merely replicate the weaknesses of government aid. Once government
acknowledges the notion of co-responsibility, it must likewise
acknowledge a notion of cooperation that respects charities institutional integrity and unique identity.
The unique value of faith-based ministries comes not just in delivering
services more efficiently than government, but in delivering services
more effectively than government. Religious ministries aim for inner conversion and inject spiritual and moral resources that are beyond governments know-how. In this effort, the faith-based community must recognize that it is not merely a government contractor; it is an equal partner.
And to make those contributions, it must be vigilant in guarding its religious character.
Religious charities need to recognize, though, that where they receive
direct public money, public accountability must follow. The challenge is
this: how to fashion reasonable oversight while respecting the charitys religious
identity and without corrupting and secularizing its work.
Texas has enjoyed a certain cooperation between government and nonprofit service groups, including faith-based ones. But the legal and policy landscapes are anything but clear; providers sometimes have to navigate legal tightropes. In Houston last year, the health department reportedly tried to shut down Carol Porters ministry of providing sandwiches
to the citys homeless because her kitchen didnt have a separate mop
sink.
True, theres often a story of smooth cooperation for every example of
a frustrated Good Samaritan. Nonetheless, countless would-be providers
have been afraid and often perceptively so of joining governments
ix
Introduction
battle against societys ills for fear of excessive regulations and having
to sacrifice their religious identity. While many faith-based groups happily operate without incident, others fear government surveillance and
demands to alter not just their physical facilities, but also their very religious nature, the nature that spurs them to serve in the first place.
A submerged iceberg of religious groups thus exercise what Luis Lugo
has termed preemptive capitulation, skittish because they fear surrendering their religious identity and feel a distinct lack of protection when
it comes to, for example, personnel practices (preferring streetwise volunteers to professionals), setting behavior standards of employees and
clients (rejecting spiritual indifference), incorporating religious aspects
into their service/treatment, etc. They fear that helping hands often end
up as choking hands. As one pundit put it, the shekels come with shackles. So they step back, and government steps in.
[C]ompassion cant be measured in

dollars and cents. It does come with
a price tag, but that price tag isnt
the amount of money spent. The
price tag is love, being able to see
people as they can be and not as
they are.
CONGRESSMAN J.C. WATTS
Religiously-inspired social action embraces strategies that often elude

professionals. No alternative approach to the cultural crisis we face
holds greater promise. Faith-anchored institutions offer values and
moral belief. They work at a deep, redeeming level. They appeal to matters of the heart and soul. They renew human connections and replace
often-distant bureaucracies with individual commitment. They give people what they need spiritually to lead lives of dignity and self-reliance.
These valuable groups must be, as Berger and Neuhaus put it, imaginatively recognized.
The Governors Advisory Task Force:

A First Step Toward Constructive Reform
We applaud Governor Bushs decision to appoint this Task Force.
There are few matters more important than recrafting the relationship
between government and faith-based charities.
Governor Bushs effort to forge a better model of government/social
ministry relations is, as far as we know, the first comprehensive effort of
its kind in the nation. What he seeks to attain what we seek is
emphatically not some sort of favored or preferential treatment for religious nonprofits. Rather, we seek a level playing field that treats faithbased groups no worse than secular groups and that respects their religious identity. We seek a government that isnt needlessly meddlesome
and whose bureaucracy doesnt strangle the efficacy of faith.
We regret not having the time to explore our important charge more
exhaustively. Limited time forced us to channel our efforts, but, as a sage
once noted, Self-limitation is the mark of mastery. We sincerely hope
that our modest efforts though a crude beginning will help Texas
begin to forge a new path, and urge us all to play our individual roles as
citizens in renewing our great State.
x
Introduction
FAITH IN ACTION . . .
A NEW VISION FOR CHURCH-STATE

COOPERATION IN TEXAS
1
FIRST PRINCIPLES: GOVERNMENTS ROLE

IN TEXAS RELIGIOUSLY DIVERSE SOCIETY*
Principle 1
Each person is created in Gods image with inherent worth and diverse talents, and each of us is
bound together in various social relationships and responsibilities.
Principle 2
We each bear a responsibility to do justice and love our neighbors, a responsibility that comes from God.
Principle 3
Government can do some things, but it cannot reach deep into the human character. Some of our
worst social pathologies (e.g., illegitimacy, crime, poverty) can be solved if people experience spiritual transformation; if the hearts of parents are turned toward their children; if respect is restored for human life and property; if a commitment is renewed to care about our neighbor and our community.
Principle 4
Texas is blessed by a rich diversity of people and institutions -- families, houses of worship, pri-
vate and religious charities, schools, voluntary associations, local grassroots organizations able to champion virtuous ideals and restore hope. Armed with love, individual responsibility and spiritual values, these characterbuilding institutions of civil society perform miracles of renewal and restoration.
Principle 5
Every single one of Texas social problems, no matter how severe, is today being addressed some-
where and somehow, by some faith-based or community group. This a great and untold story.
Principle 6
A responsibility of government is fruitful cooperation with mediating institutions that are
meeting the needs of Texans in crisis. Government policy must bolster, not weaken or displace, people and organizations that are carrying out their vital responsibilities and getting things done.
Principle 7
The urgent public mission of enhancing Texas civil society requires a fresh definition of com-
passion, one that focuses on the consoling hand and word of someone who suffers with and who invests himself or herself.
Principle 8
The members of this Task Force see the First Amendment as a vital protection against unreason-
able government interference. Government should not exclude religious expressions or concerns from the public
square nor grant privilege to secular programs or solutions. Governments treatment of faith-based organizations
should be one of benevolent and positive neutrality.
Principle 9
State and federal law, rules, and regulations should not discriminate against Texans eligible to
benefit from government financial assistance for human services (e.g., job training, health care, shelter, child care,
education, counseling, drug and alcohol rehabilitation) simply because they choose to receive those services from
faith-based service groups. Such groups, on an equal footing with non-religious groups, should be permitted to
serve beneficiaries of government-funded services and without having to secularize their distinct religious
character or self-governance.
Principle 10
We see no conflict with, or threat to promot[ing] the general welfare when government coop-
erates or contracts with faith-based social service organizations on the same basis as it does with non-religious
organizations in seeking to fulfill this purpose.
* This Statement of Principles is drawn in part from various items published by The Center
for Public Justice (CPJ) and from materials provided by the office of U.S. Sen. Dan Coats,
which have been revised to reflect the consensus of the Task Force.
2
First Principles
For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to

eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a
stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you
cloathed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was
in prison, and you came to Me.
* * * * * * *
Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to
one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of
them, you did it to Me.
MATTHEW 25:35-36, 40
3
THE NEW
CHARITABLE CHOICE ACT
For more detailed discussion on this

and other congressional efforts to
revive civil society, see:
l
Report Appendix pp. 22-27
Enlisting religious groups

in Texas anti-poverty battle
The centerpiece of the American welfare system AFDC, the federal

cash entitlement benefiting unmarried poor mothers is gone. In its
place, Congress has opted for a $16.4 billion lump-sum block grant to
the states. Now the states, including Texas, can use this money to design,
finance and administer welfare programs that best fit their needs.
A key provision of the federal welfare bill the charitable choice
provision invites states to enlist the help of charitable and faith-based
organizations in delivering welfare services to needy Americans. If Texas
continues using non-government providers to serve the poor and we
hope it does religious-based groups would be free to compete for contracts or participate in voucher programs.
What Does the Charitable Choice Provision Do? Passed in August
1996 as part of Congress sweeping welfare reform bill, Missouri
Senator John Ashcrofts charitable choice provision empowers states
to utilize faith-based social service agencies on the same basis as secular
agencies in anti-poverty efforts. Importantly, religious providers arent
required to sanitize their programs in order to compete for contracts
or participate in voucher programs; they can maintain their unique
ecclesiastical nature and retain control over the definition, development, practice, and expression of its religious beliefs. This visionary
proposal an idea long supported by Governor Bush is a historic
event and has the power to transform fundamentally the character of
our welfare system.
Senator Ashcrofts charitable choice provision explicitly provides that:
States may provide welfare services through contracts with
charitable, religious, or private organizations, and/or give
beneficiaries vouchers that are redeemable with such groups.
Religious groups may participate on the same basis as any
other nongovernmental provider without impairing the religious
character of such organizations, and without diminishing the
religious freedom of beneficiaries of assistance.
States may not discriminate against a religious provider on
the basis that the organization has a religious character.
The goal? To encourage the religious sector to get more involved by
protecting their rights as well as those of the people they serve. By
enabling them to expand their services via government funding while
guaranteeing that they dont have to secularize their property or betray
their religious character, the new charitable choice act will help move
people toward independence and self-reliance.
Americas faith-based charities and

nongovernmental organizations, from
the Salvation Army to the Boys and
Girls Clubs, have been successful in
moving people from welfare dependency to the dignity of self-reliance.
Government alone will never solve
our welfare problem. We need to
enlist our charitable institutions in
the war on poverty.
U.S. SEN. JOHN ASHCROFT
Detroits Joy of Jesus job-training

program was so successful at placing unemployed workers that
Michigan officials offered state
funding. The catch? The Bible studies and prayers had to go. The
result? Absent the faith orientation,
Joy of Jesus endured noisy, disinterested enrollees and saw its 60 percent placement rate drop to near
zero. Last December, Joy of Jesus
returned the money.
4
THE NEW CHARITABLE CHOICE ACT
Can charities fill the gap? I dont

know. But, what I do know is that ...
missions work every day to expand
their programs to meet the demand
for their services. There are a lot of
people at risk of falling off the welfare rolls and I am confident that ...
missions will help fill that gap.
REV. STEPHEN E. BURGER,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL
UNION OF GOSPEL MISSIONS
Vouchers vs. Contracting: Within the charitable choice framework

which permits either direct contracts with providers or vouchers to recipients the Task Force prefers a voucher-oriented delivery system that
would spur a market for the charity business.
Using vouchers (a.k.a. certificates, redemption coupons) redeemable at
a range of private, charitable, or religious providers will:
increase choice and autonomy to the recipient
stimulate healthy competition and efficiency among providers
simplify monitoring
lower administrative costs
provide better matches between the clients preferences and the
services sought
cleanly sidestep First Amendment challenges
Restoring choice by privatizing charity also restores dignity. As Booker
T. Washington recognized, Few things help an individual more than to
place responsibility upon him, and to let him know that you trust him.
The recipient is no longer the passive recipient of delivery-line service, but
the proactive owner of a voucher. He or she can use it anywhere, at a wide
range of providers, and not necessarily from a government program, but
from a caring neighbor through a church, a synagogue, or a community group around the corner.
The legality of client-directed aid enjoys strong support. As Justice
Thurgood Marshall recognized in Witters v. Dept of Washington Services
for the Blind:
Any aid provided that ultimately flows to religious institutions
does so only as a result of the genuinely independent and private choices of aid recipients. The decision to support religious
education is made by the individual, not the state.
The utilization of faith-based charities can occur at the same time that
the religious liberty of beneficiaries is honored. How? By ensuring that
beneficiaries have the right not to be coerced into religious
practices/beliefs and that they have a voice in choosing their provider.
Those choosing a religious provider can be expected to follow the groups
program without violation of their rights. The law, therefore, shouldnt
pressure faith-based groups to secularize their programs, but rather assure
beneficiaries a choice among various religious and nonreligious providers.
NOTE: Religious providers have, of course, a duty to adhere to the highest

possible conduct, to abide Pauls injunction to be above reproach. Striving
for sterling character such that critics have nothing to say is a principle
that all faiths share, and that norm of stewardship is absolutely crucial.
5
RECOMMENDATION
The Task Force, in light of Congress historic passage of the charitable choice provision, encourages Texas policymakers to design a
voucherized welfare delivery system.
Policy Options for Consideration

1. Craft a voucherized delivery system that allows needy Texans to redeem
certificates for welfare services (e.g., job training, day care, etc.) at participating private and faith-based providers providing comparable services.
2. Enact legal provisions guaranteeing religious liberty safeguards that
assure would-be providers that their distinct religious character, program, and beliefs need not surrendered or secularized as a price of
participation in the voucher system.
3. Insert religious liberty protections into all of the States
contracts/agreements, whether or not for services under the federal welfare reform bill, with participating faith-based service providers.
This is our special duty, that if anyone specially

needs our help, we should give him such help to
the utmost of our power.
CICERO
6
THE NEW CHARITABLE CHOICE ACT
How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a

single moment before starting to improve the
world.
ANNE FRANK
7
STATE LICENSURE
AND CONTRACTING GENERALLY
Recognizing private accreditation in lieu
of state licensure and regulation
As we approach the next millennium, Texas is looking at completely new issues (i.e., block grants, managed care, thirdparty administration of services). As our State government
strives to become leaner and smarter, policymakers should
turn their attention to our traditional licensing, regulatory, and
contracting practices.
Licensure and Alternative Accreditation

Texas currently requires the licensure, registration and/or certification
of all the 30,000 or so facilities that provide out-of-home child day-care,
residential care, and child placement.
A brief glimpse at the scope

of one agencys licensing activities
The 401-person licensing staff of the Texas Department of Protective
and Regulatory Services (DPRS) 336 of them handling day-care
issues about 4,200 new licenses, certificates, and registrations each
year. Expenditures for FY 1995 are estimated at $13.7 million. In FY
1995, the agency conducted 35,269 inspections -- which are required of
licensed facilities at least once per year to check compliance with
minimum standards. Each child-care licensing representative handles
about 81 cases. Each residential child-care licensing representative
handles about 21 cases.
Besides the various child-care facilities, Texas has dozens of other service areas involving children, expectant mothers, the elderly, substance
abusers, the disabled, etc. All these areas require a state-issued license
from one agency or another.
Many important programs in Texas are operated and/or sponsored by
faith-based groups (e.g., childrens homes, nursing centers and hospitals,
etc.). Many facilities, though and not just faith-based ones have
clashed with state rules and regulations that many describe as silly and
unnecessarily meddlesome.
Is Accreditation Available? Virtually all of Texas service areas that are
now licensed can be accredited:
residential treatment for youth
day treatment
foster care and day care services for children
vocational and employment services
adoption services
family preservation services
runaway and homeless youth services
outpatient mental health and substance abuse services
therapeutic foster care
residential care for mentally ill adults
The Council on Accreditation (COA)

is a national nonprofit that accredits
over 4,000 social service and behavioral healthcare programs that meet
standards of high service.
By Fall 1996, COA will have standards for over 50 different services.
In Texas, 21 providers usually
multi-service providers had
achieved COA accreditation as of
April 1996.
Almost half the states, to some
degree or another, formally recognize the value of COA accreditation
(i.e., accepting accreditation in lieu
of licensing or other state requirements). COA is sponsored and supported by several groups, including
the Child Welfare League, the
National Council for Adoption,
Catholic Charities USA, etc.
For more information on COA, call
(212) 714-9399.
Other established entities offer

accrediting, too:
The Joint Commission on
Accreditation of Healthcare
Organizations (JCAHO): the oldest
and largest accrediting body
which accredits hospitals, nursing
homes, mental health programs, etc.
The Commission on Accreditation of
Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF),
which accredits sheltered workshops, rehab units in hospitals, mental health and substance abuse facilities, and a range of services to people with disabilities.
The Accreditation Council on
Services for People with Disabilities,
a behavioral health care accreditor
that works in the field of developmental disabilities.
8
STATE LICENSURE AND CONTRACTING GENERALLY
Father Flanagans Boys Town recently

published, with the help of prominent child-care and treatment
experts, National Performance
Standards for Residential Care.
Importantly, these core standards
focus not on program process, but
on program performance the
impact of programs and practices on
the lives of children. The performance standards are for long-term
residential groups care programs
such as group homes, residential
programs, residential treatment centers, long-term psychiatric care
facilities, corrections facilities, and
youth boot camps.
Boys Town urges organizations to
adopt these concrete performance
standards as a complement to
accrediting systems that measure
process standards in the hope
of gauging effectiveness and elevating the overall quality of care.
Info.:
13603 Flanagan Blvd.
Boys Town, NE 68010
(800) 282-6657
[email protected]
day care services for the elderly

services for victims of domestic violence
services for persons with developmental disabilities
Is Accreditation Useful? For providers weary (or afraid) of government oversight, accreditation helps meet our three-part goal:
protecting the public interest by ensuring appropriate care and
oversight;
protecting the religious character of participating organizations; and
protecting the religious freedom of beneficiaries.
Accreditations value is hard to overlook. As stated by the Council on
Accreditation, accreditation carries these benefits:
identifies agencies in which consumers can have confidence
generates knowledge upon which an effective agency referral
system can be built
identifies agencies worthy of public and private funding support
protects agencies and boards against pressure to lower standards
increases program effectiveness
good risk-management strategy
stronger competitive position in a managed care environment
demonstrates accountability in management of resources
builds staff morale
one accreditation review covers all services a plus for multiservice delivery systems
Why Accreditation? Accreditation by a well-respected and -credentialed entity would inspire confidence in the quality of service and eliminate the need for government licensure and oversight. The credential of
accreditation means something. Accordingly, it is increasingly recognized
by several states as equivalent to state licensing or certification requirements. Some states and other entities add other practical and tangible
value to accreditation via various incentives (e.g., insurance reimbursement for accredited facilities).
Moreover, as discussed above, its a useful way to begin re-engineering
the states regulatory machinery and focusing governments efforts on
trouble areas.
A partial list of accrediting bodies focused on early childhood education is provided in the Appendix to this Report. Nothing in this Report
should be construed as an endorsement of any particular organization.
9
In all its licensing and contracting activities, Texas should protect the
religious integrity of faith-based groups in at least four ways:
Personnel: Faith-based groups should enjoy autonomy in personnel matters (i.e., hiring people who share their religious
views, disciplining those who engage in certain conduct, etc.)
Environment: Faith-based providers shouldnt be required to
dilute their religious environment (i.e., symbols, scriptures, icons, etc.).
Content: Religious groups should be free to help clients in a
distinctly religious manner (i.e., using religious language and
styles of service). Often, assistance cannot be easily classified as
either secular or sectarian. For example, counselors may
urge clients to seek a higher power to gain strength and
resolve, or urge those being mentored to participate in a churchs
internal life. These religious emphases improve the quality of services. Governments sole aim should be that people overcome
their problems and are restored to society, not that social services
be stripped of religious content.
Financial Accountability: In holding religious groups fiscally
accountable, government should stay clear of policies and practices that arent directly involved in the program. The law
should recognize a firewall permitting groups to segregate
their program funds and limiting audits to that account. This
provision will guard against any improper entanglement.
RECOMMENDATION
To promote high-quality care, Texas should allow for an alternative
oversight mechanism for faith-based providers who, while committed
to providing valuable service, believe a non-governmental entity can
better credential and accommodate their program. Also, our State
should, while ensuring responsible stewardship of public dollars, take
care not to crowd out the contributions of faith-based providers via
excessive contracting regulations.
10
STATE LICENSURE AND CONTRACTING GENERALLY

1. Authorize as an alternative to state licensure accreditation by an
established and recognized accrediting body committed to high-quality care and whose standards meet or exceed state minimums.
2. Urge insurance plans to include in their authorized provider pool
facilities that are recognized as offering high-quality care by a wellrespected accrediting organization.
3. Recognize the value of accreditation by waiving/easing the States
contracting requirements on accredited providers from whom the State
purchases services.
4. Texas law should re-emphasize and re-affirm the States commitment to religious liberty. All Texas statutes governing licensing and
all related regulations, contracts, documents, agreements, etc.
should prominently (i) bear language similar to that set forth in
42.001 of the Human Resources Code (which governs child-care facilities) . . . that religious freedom is inviolate and beyond governments
regulatory reach, and (ii) describe the States provision for variances
and waivers.
5. Enact legal provisions guaranteeing religious liberty safeguards that
assure would-be providers that their distinct religious character, program, and beliefs need not be surrendered or secularized as a price
of contracting with the State.
6. Insert religious liberty protections into all of the States
contracts/agreements with participating faith-based service providers.
7. Periodically review and revise any new State contracting provisions
and regulations to ensure that they dont unnecessarily discourage the
cooperation of Texas caregivers.
The fruit of silence is prayer.

The fruit of prayer is faith.
The fruit of faith is love.
The fruit of love is service.
The fruit of service is peace.
MOTHER TERESA
11
TEXAS CHILDREN:
VALUING OUR GREATEST ASSET
For more detailed discussion, see:

l
Using Alternative Accreditation to encourage

faith-based child care providers
Our children are the faces of our future. And the childhood
we give them today will determine the society they give us
tomorrow.
Helping Ease the Child Care Trap

Background: Texas has endured a profound shift in childrearing. Most
Texas children spend significant time in the care of non-parents. And as
we better understand the lasting importance of childrens early experiences, we see that child-cares implications for children emotionally,
physically, cognitively are enormous.
Child-care has the capacity to nurture childrens bodies, minds, and
souls. To thrive, children require a delicate blend of love, guidance,
acceptance, encouragement, and discipline. Child care cannot be a place
where children are warehoused with apathetic (or worse) staff and in
substandard facilities.
Quality child-care is a must for working Texas families parents need
suitable options, and children need suitable care. But finding reliable and
affordable child-care poses a tough dilemma for working parents. Without
it, access to the workforce is blocked. And put simply, there are holes in
Texas child-care market (our States third-fastest growing industry).
Texas companies such as the Austin Diagnostic Clinic and IBM are pooling resources to form child-care consortiums that address their employees child-care woes. Such child-friendly cooperative efforts (i) plug
holes in the area market, (ii) boost performance by reducing attrition and
absenteeism, and (iii) help workers meet work commitments without
sacrificing family needs. The faith community can join together to do
the same.
The Added Effect of Workfare: Texas requires welfare moms to

work. Fortunately, the federal welfare reform bill grants Texas about $350
million for child-care programs over the next six years. That helps, but
there persists a very real issue: who will look after the children of lowincome, working moms when the moms cant? How can they hold onto
their jobs? What happens when family and work responsibilities collide?
The work requirements in the federal bill mean Texas will need affordable child care more than ever. The key: more providers.
As of 1993, 9.9 million children

under age 5 were in need of care
while their moms were at work.
Roughly 1.6 million of these children lived in families with monthly
incomes below $1,500.
An additional 22.3 million children
ages 5-14 had working moms, many
of whom required child care during
nonschool hours.
Over half of all infants under age
1 are enrolled in some form of nonmaternal care, most for 30 hours or
more per week.
BUREAU OF THE CENSUS, 1995
Among the factors that encourage

low-income mothers to seek and
keep jobs . . . affordable child care
is a decisive one.
U.S. GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE
The need for good care is paramount, but it wont sprout overnight.
Stringent regulations and liability concerns often dissuade would-be
providers.
12
TEXAS CHILDREN: VALUING OUR GREATEST ASSET
Complying with applicable

teacher/child ratios usually a day
care centers single greatest expense
(around 70 percent on average)
can possibly be eased by the new
federal welfare bill.
The law requires recipients to perform community service at charities
or public agencies if theyre unable
to find a paying job. This option
gives Texas more opportunities to
place welfare recipients in work
environments, including placing
trained recipients in child-care centers.
Moreover, says Carrie Moffitt,
Executive Director of the Houston
Volunteer Center, volunteering at
nonprofit agencies and charities is a
good way to develop work skills.
The Unique Status of Religious Providers: Religious-based caregivers

face unique concerns. While Texas benefits from numerous faith-based
providers who provide top-notch care, countless other would-be caregivers give in to preemptive capitulation. Why? Because they often
perceive public agencies as less interested in serving children than in
punishing those who dont succumb to state control. Requirements have
crept from health, fire, sanitation, and safety into sensitive areas like personnel, program, funding, etc. Many fear being turned into a quasi-government agency via excessive state regulation, and losing their religious
distinctiveness in the bargain.
This view may seem exaggerated to some, but it nonetheless acts to discourage many religious agencies who fear governments fatal embrace
and believe they will have to sandpaper down their religious vitality for
the pleasure of rendering service.
Governor Bush has encouraged Texas faith community to offer quality child-care, like Task Force Chairman Tom Curries church does for welfare moms who are either working or completing their education. Given
our States need for affordable, accessible care, and some would-be
providers good-faith aversion to government interference, we must try
to enlist their help.
What to do? How can the State be less intrusive into religious affairs
yet still fulfill their bona fide role in ensuring health, safety, fire and sanitation safeguards? Roughly nine states have struck a balance by carving
out, in one fashion or another, state licensing exemptions for religious
child-care providers. Each state makes its own provisions for assuring
itself that fire, health and safety requirements are met, that children are
protected from potential abuse via screening and reporting requirements,
and that parents remain involved in their childrens care.
A three-page analysis of how eight states have accommodated religious
child care, prepared by the Christian Law Association, is provided at
pages 4-5 in the Report Appendix. The Task Force, constrained by time,
was unable to study exhaustively these alternatives, but invites Texas
policymakers to examine and take advantage of this information.
Florida embraces a unique alternative to state licensure: alternative

accreditation. So long as programs are accredited by a respected body
that requires compliance with published health and safety standards,
they are exempt from state licensure.
The Valid Need For Accountability Generally: The faith community
welcomes accountability and oversight. On this point, Scripture provides
a clear admonition: people of faith are to be above reproach and a sterling example of good deeds. As one minister-law professor has said,
Christ came to save us, not exempt us. All religions agree that caring
for children, the most vulnerable members of our society, is a sacred trust.
Because the Task Force recognizes an overwhelming burden of responsibility toward the children of Texas, it knows that any proposed alternative to licensing must demonstrate a commitment to stewardship that is
absolutely impeccable.
13
The Virtues of Alternative Accreditation: Alternative accreditation is

a terrific alternative for providers, whether faith-based or not, and provides a conspicuous mark of excellence. Whether youre a parent look-
ing for good care for your child or an employer trying to support your
employees child care needs, accreditation identifies high-quality programs that benefit all Texans.
Alternative accreditation addresses our goals:
ensures protection for Texas children by providing a bench
mark for quality;
assists parents in their search for high-quality programs;
provides valuable professional development experience for
teachers and directors;
assures donors of a solid investment;
provides professional and public recognition for high-quality
programs; and
promises greater sensitivity to the religious autonomy and
identity of providers.
Theres an added bonus, too: A credible alternative to state licensure
provides a novel opportunity to re-tool the States regulatory apparatus
and conserve finite resources. There were over 22,000 licensed, certified,
and registered day-care facilities in Texas as of August 31, 1995. If Texas
defers more to the private sector for oversight, public employees can better focus their energies on problem areas.
A brief description of various accrediting bodies is provided in the
Appendix. The Task Force, however, presents this material for informational purposes only; no endorsement is intended.
RECOMMENDATION
Texas should provide an alternative oversight mechanism for faithbased providers who, while committed to providing quality care,
believe a non-governmental entity can better accommodate and credential their program.

1. Adopt an alternative accreditation model that would permit faithbased providers to seek accreditation by a well-respected body whose
standards meet or exceed state minimums. Such accredited providers
would be deemed eligible to compete for public contracts and/or
voucher programs.
2. Texas officials should embrace a philosophy of benevolent neutrality toward faith-based providers wishing to remain licensed by the
State. This philosophy should inform the states funding decisions and
also the states oversight and compliance efforts (i.e., requests for
waivers and variances).
3. Encourage on a private, associational basis, accredited faith-based
providers to form (or join) a peer self-study process to identify best
practices and performance standards, support training/technical
assistance initiatives, etc.
14
TEXAS CHILDREN: VALUING OUR GREATEST ASSET
To give and not

to count the cost;
To fight and not
to head the wounds;
To toil and not
to seek for rest;
To labour and not
ask for any reward
Save that of knowing
that we do Thy will.
IGNATIUS LOYOLA
We are caught in an inescapable network of

mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
15
COMBATING CRIME
AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Enlisting the faith factor to promote a safer Texas
Without God, anything [everything] is permitted.
FYODOR DOSTOYEVSKY
The church, as an institution, is societys most effective

weapon in saving children from alcohol abuse, illegal drugs,
violent crime, sexual promiscuity, illegitimacy, and dependence.
THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION
Freeing Faith-Based
Adult Chemical Dependence Programs
The Crisis of Drug Abuse: Two just-released studies underscore the
severity of our drug crisis. Teen drug use had hit its lowest point in 1992
after a decade of decline, but the National Household Survey on Drug
Abuse reports that teen drug use which portends more violent crime
has risen sharply:
overall drug use increased among 12- to 17-year-olds by 78 per
cent from 1992-95, 24 percent from 1994-95 alone;
10 percent of teens now use drugs on a monthly basis;
monthly cocaine use spiked up 166 percent between 1994-95;
marijuana use increased 105 percent from 1992-95, 37 percent
since 1994;
monthly use of LSD/hallucinogens rose 183 percent from 1992,
54 percent from 1994-95
Much of our drug war is waged on the supply side of the equation,
with government trying to stem the flow of drugs across our borders. But
there would be no flow to stem were it not for Americas steady demand.
The federal government has certainly stumbled in its duty to guard our
borders, but Texas must do better, too, at squeezing demand.
The Proven Efficacy of the Faith Factor: Treating addicts, of course,
is a vital part of our anti-drug efforts. And studies consistently show that
faith-based addiction programs are often superior to other programs.
A study published in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
found that participants attending religious programs were nine times
more likely to report abstinence from opium-based drugs like heroin for
one year after completing the program. A review of 20 published studies
on substance abuse found that 19 of them 95 percent reported that

l
Report Appendix p. 13
[The] role of religious commitment

and religiously oriented treatment programs can be significant factors which
ought to be considered and included
when planning a mix of appropriate
treatment alternatives. . . .
Perhaps the greatest advantage of
religious programs is their recourse
to churches as a support system. . . .
Religious treatment programs are
not suitable for everyone. For those
men and women who can accept the
creeds, rituals, and commitments
required of such programs there
seem to be certain advantages.
DUKE UNIVERSITY
RESEARCH PSYCHIATRISTS
The most frequent crime leading to

prison is drug-related.
16
COMBATING CRIME AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Boys who regularly attend church are

50 percent less likely to engage in
crime that boys of similar backgrounds who dont attend church.
They are also 54 percent less likely
to use drugs and 47 percent less
likely to drop out of school.
RICHARD FREEMAN, HARVARD UNIVERSITY
A 1996 poll in USA Today found that

56 percent of Americans believe that
faith helped them recover from an
illness.
A review of 212 medical studies
examining faith and health found
that roughly 75 percent of the studies showed health benefits for
patients with religious commitments.
[Faith-based treatment programs]

just [want] to be left to do [their]
work . . . but . . . officials . . . insist
youve got to be certified by the state
and comply with rules like having a
36-inch door rather than a 34-inch
door. . . . The government officials
cling to their regulations, and kids
who might be rescued are sleeping
in crack houses or under . . .
bridges.
ROBERT L. WOODSON SR., PRESIDENT,
NATIONAL CENTER FOR NEIGHBORHOOD
ENTERPRISE
17
religion plays a significant role in preventing alcoholism. The review also

noted that people who didnt use drugs shared a consistent trait: a strong
religious commitment.
Additional data on the Faith Factor

A 1988 study noted that religious beliefs were related to both the incidence and prevalence of marijuana use, theft, and vandalism.
A review of 20 studies found that drug abuse is related to a persons
lack of religious commitment. Serious commitment was a strong predictor of those avoiding drugs.
Studies show that alcohol abusers rarely have a strong religious commitment; 89 percent say they lost interest in religion during while teens.
The two most reliable predictors of teen drug avoidance are optimism
about the future and regular church attendance.
Governments Aversion to Faith-Based Treatment: Unfortunately, current Texas law crowds out valuable faith-anchored programs by failing to
take into account their unique nature and philosophy. By exhibiting a
strong sense of credentialism and dismissing religious volunteers as
amateurs, Texas has a history of brushing aside religious efforts as
unprofessional and unsystematic. Said one former TCADA executive:
Outcomes and outputs are not an issue for us. As a result, many
addicts with lives often marked by criminal behavior, lack of health
insurance, welfare dependence are denied a proven way to escape
their destructive lifestyle.
Texas law: Anyone purporting to offer drug treatment must have a stateissued license, which requires licensed counselors with a requisite
amount of medical model academic training, clinical expertise, etc.
Results Matter: In launching this Task Force, Governor Bush put it

well: The state should not be so process-oriented that it stifles good programs that produce results. Just as we respect results, we should respect
the methods that achieve them. Unfortunately, Texas law has threatened
to snuff out some life-changing success stories:
Victory Fellowship: Not long ago, TCADA threatened to shut down
Victory Fellowship, a faith-based haven for hard-core substance abusers
staffed by former addicts and alcoholics.*
The Philosophy: A relationship with God provides meaning and
direction for life. We dont use drugs or psychiatrists or any of
that, only Bible study, says addict-turned-Outreach founder
Freddie Garcia. We believe that sin is the reason why people
take drugs. . . . the drug addict is a slave to sin, not to drugs. We
believe that drug addiction is a spiritual problem, and that Jesus
Christ is the solution.
* February 1996 brought new bureaucratic hassles, courtesy of the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development, led by former San Antonio mayor Henry Cisneros (who,
while mayor, praised Outreach founder Freddie Garcia as a benefactor of the community
who can work wonders). HUD requirements $5,000/year in rent, costly insurance coverage, etc. threatened to shut down Garcias drop-in center for troubled teens, operated for free in San Antonios public housing projects. (Secretary Cisneros recently waived
the rent requirement, but insisted on the other requirements for Garcia to continue offering
his free services to gang members, addicts, abused kids, etc.)
The Results: A reported cure rate for abusers of crack, heroin, and
alcohol of about 70 percent (compared with single digits for many
secular programs). An average cost of $25-30/day (compared
with several hundred dollars per day at other facilities). Over the
last three decades, more than 13,000 people have reaped sobriety
and spiritual renewal at Victory Fellowship, which has roughly
70 satellite centers across the country and around the world.
Teen Challenge: Like Victory Fellowship, Teen Challenge the largest
faith-based treatment network with 120 centers nationwide is a rehab
program that boasts great success. It, too, was almost shut down because
it didnt embrace the medical a/k/a/ addiction is a disease
model of treatment. Instead, it embraced a religious model that views
addiction as the result of underlying spiritual troubles that are eminently curable through moral teaching. (California recently hired the
University of California to determine whether its federally-funded treatment programs actually work).
The Philosophy: Addiction is the result of moral choices, a manifestation of larger problems brought about by sin and ill-fated
attempts to find meaning in life. Teen Challenge provides residential social care, offers a home environment, teaches work
ethics, helps clients secure their GED (if needed), teaches biblical
principles, etc.
Recovered addict Dyrickeyo Johnson

says his state-approved center was a
nice place with his own room, a
schedule, and no work he had to do.
You were told to focus your mind
and your willpower. The only problem
is that a drug addict doesnt have any
willpower. He was back on crack
within three months. After leaving
Teen Challenge, hes clean, married
with two small children, and a counselor at a local housing project.
The Results: Reported cure rates of 70-86 percent, and for a

fraction of the cost of other treatment (sometimes only four percent of other local programs).
What About Cost? Drug treatment sponsored by taxpayers is no bargain. According to federal drug czar Barry McCaffrey, the federal government will spend $5 billion in 1997 treating mostly poor and criminal
addicts. The annual per-person costs of most residential treatment programs is between $17,000-22,000. In 1992, the National Drug and Alcohol
Treatment Utilization Survey noted that 945,000 clients were participating in federally-funded drug treatment programs. And the cost of that
treatment has spiraled. From 1989 to 1994, federal money more than doubled increasing 119 percent, or $1.3 billion but while treatment
demands have increased, the number of persons treated has gone down.
Americas Drug Treatment Industry At a Glance:

drug and alcohol treatment centers:
11,800
Americans who need treatment:
7.1 million
# who received treatment in 1994:
1.85 million
# of people in custody of correctional

agencies also in a treatment program:
944,208
There is no single appropriate treatment for addiction any more than

there is for diabetes, hypertension,
or depression. These populations
are diverse. Some need medication,
some need psychological help, some
need lifestyle change. It is critical
to match the individual with the
appropriate treatment.
HERBERT D. KLEBER,
DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE,
COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS
Effective Drug Treatment = Less Crime: This, too, is clear: effective

treatment yields tremendous results for law-abiding society. Every day
of proven treatment reaps a financial return to the state because social
costs mostly crime decrease as people escape their addictions. One
study noted that graduates of religious programs were three times more
likely to be married and far less apt to be on parole/probation.
18
I believe there are people and groups

in America with answers, [people
who are] winning the war on poverty
and addiction, one individual at a
time.
U.S. SEN. DAN COATS
One size doesnt fit all, and faith-centered programs may not work for
everyone. But Texas needs a diverse mix of treatment alternatives, including low-cost programs rooted in faith. Their impressive success merits
them a place of respect. As Texas looks for programs that work, it should
(i) applaud no-nonsense ministries like Victory Fellowship and Teen
Challenge that have a long history of saving lives, and (ii) do as other
states have done and dismantle the secular bias that crowds out such
valuable programs.
RECOMMENDATION
Modify existing law to better enable faith-anchored chemical dependence programs to reach adult Texans suffering from drug and/or alcohol addiction.

1. Exempt from licensure requirements rehab or treatment programs
operated by a religious institution or social ministry that employs spiritual or religious methods of treatment and whose primary purpose is
to propagate the organizations religious beliefs. Such facilities should
not be crowded out by a co-opted definition of the words treatment
or rehabilitation, or fall within TCADAs purview.
2. Require exempt facilities to:
provide the name and address of the facility and satisfactory
proof of its status as a church or nonprofit religious organization;
not provide medical care, medical detoxification, or medical
withdrawal services, and to refer persons needing such care to an
appropriate medical facility (unless the exempt facility ordinarily
provides such care);
comply with all local fire, health and safety codes, along with
applicable state incorporation laws and financial accountability
standards set forth in nonprofit corporate statutes and IRS guidelines; and
include in all advertising and program literature a statement
noting its exempt status as a religious nonprofit organization.
3. Recognize that individuals should not be precluded from receiving
federal or state benefits merely because they are participating in a faithbased residential treatment program.
4. Consider faith-based programs on the same basis as any other nonprofit private organization when recommending or referring would-be
participants.
19
5. Permit faith-based programs (perhaps based on specific outcome criteria) to receive TCADA funds and provide services on the same basis
as any other nonprofit private entity, and forbidding the state from (i)
interfering with the definition, practice, or expression of a providers
religious beliefs, (ii) requiring that a faith-based provider alter its form
of internal governance or remove religious art, scripture, etc., or (iii)
requiring funded programs to jettison their requirement that employees adhere to the organizations religious and moral beliefs.
6. Recognize the legitimacy and effectiveness of proven faith-based
programs such that insurers are urged to include them within their
authorized provider pool.
7. Re-evaluate any education and credentialing standards that act to
deny federal drug treatment funds to faith-based facilities. Such standards should be removed so long as (i) the program has provided effective drug treatment for a reasonable period of time (i.e., at least three
years), and (ii) the requirements for education and training of personnel effectively bar the group from receiving federal funds.
8. Urge faith-based programs to form, on a private, associational basis,
a peer self-study and accrediting process to identify best practices
and performance standards, support training/technical assistance initiatives, etc.
Faith-based correctional facilities

Religion is the forgotten factor. . . . We use pet therapy, horticulture therapy, acupuncture in prisons, but if you mention
God, theres a problem.
BYRON JOHNSON, LAMAR UNIV.
CRIMINOLOGIST
Governments First Duty: If government can master one thing in order

to help re-energize civil society, it must restore security, protection, and
order to our neighborhoods. There can be no civic engagement when
front porches attract random gunfire, or public parks attract drug addicts
and prostitutes. A flourishing civil society is impossible if we have communities imprisoned by violence and fear.
Texas, which runs the nations largest prison system - now housing
132,000 inmates could certainly benefit from ways to break the cycle of
criminal behavior.
Crime and Religion Age-Old Enemies: A growing body of scientific
evidence shows that religion can curtail or cure deep socioeconomic
problems and help curb crime and recidivism. Policymakers worried
about crime cannot be indifferent about the difference that makes the
most difference in peoples lives.
The rehabilitative efficacy of faith-based treatment programs for
inmates is no longer open to serious dispute. A recent study examined
the impact of religion on hundreds of inmates from 20 prisons in 12
states, and found that the truly religious:
were better able to handle personal problems;
learned to deal with guilt;
came to accept personal responsibility for their crimes; and
tended to become model prisoners.
Chuck Colsons Prison Fellowship, which works with convicts
throughout the U.S. and in about 60 other countries, joined the Federal
In 1993, Americans suffered over 43

million criminal victimizations.
10 million were violent attacks, 25
percent of them murders, rapes,
aggravated assaults, robberies, and
other injury- or fatality-causing
attacks.
Each year, violent crime costs society over $400 billion in economic
losses and long-term health and
other costs.
Between 1980-94, the nations state
and federal prison population more
than tripled, from 319,598 to
999,808. Over the same period, the
number of criminals on probation or
parole swelled by a similar proportion, from 1.3 million to 3.7 million.
On any given day, for every three persons who were incarcerated, seven
convicted offenders were on the
streets with little or no supervision
JOHN J. DIIULIO
20
Prison Fellowship has run the

Humanita Prison in Sao Paulo,
Brazil, for the past two decades,
offering a decidedly moral alternative to basic prison life.
The recidivism rate is 4 percent,
compared with the general Brazilian
rate of 75 percent. (The U.S. rate is
about 75 percent, too.)
What cannot be denied is that religion is a topic that should be of

interest to those concerned with the
field of corrections.
TODD R. CLEAR (WRITING FOR THE NATIONAL
COUNCIL ON CRIME AND DELINQUENCY)
Bureau of Prisons to study recidivism in religious former inmates. The

study which measured recidivism for up to 14 years after release
found that the recidivism rate among religious former inmates was significantly lower than the rate among non-religious ones. Religious
instruction played a key role in boosting the prospects for successful
long-term rehabilitation. A more demanding follow-up study found similar drops in recidivism for inmates who attended prison Bible courses.
Dr. David Larson, a former researcher with the National Institutes for
Health and now with Duke University Medical Center, has spent several
years researching the beneficial relationship between religiosity and
recidivism. A recent survey found over 30 studies showing a correlation
between religious participation and being crime- and drug-free. (Larson
bemoans the neglect that religion as well as the value of inmate participation in volunteer programs, such as Prison Fellowship or alternative
correctional facilities has received among many criminologists.) Byron
Johnson of Lamar University agrees: Religion in the forgotten factor.
Civil society needs guardrails, some moral consensus that dissuades
deviant behavior. Religion, unlike government transfer payments, provides it. Transforming people from the inside out, it gets under the surface, re-molding beliefs and behavior. Religion fills mans moral vacuum.
It provides hope, faith, and answers to lifes great questions; it offers deep
meaning and purpose; it gives people a reason to say no, to persevere,
to live lives of responsibility, kindness, mercy, benevolence, and virtue.
Religions Effect on Would-be Juvenile Delinquents: Washington Post
columnist William Raspberry writes often on the explosion in juvenile
violence and what he sees as the consciouslessness among our youth:
children who have reached adolescence and beyond without
having internalized any important sense of right and wrong,
who have no internal brakes on their behavior, who can maim,
destroy and kill without remorse.
Almost every account we have from

psychologists of the moral development of the child emphasizes reinforcements and imitation. Children
acquire rules of conduct by having
compliance with those rules rewarded and violations punished and by
observing and imitating the behavior
of their parents and friends.
JAMES Q. WILSON, UCLA
Religions power to curb juvenile delinquency a term that used to

mean stealing apples, playing hooky, and joyriding is no longer open to
serious question. Liberals and conservatives alike tout the virtue of faith.
Says criminologist John DiIulio, Its remarkable how much good empirical
evidence there is that religious belief can make a positive difference. A
recent study in Criminology concluded that there is significant empirical evidence that religion serves as an insulator against crime and delinquency.
The fact that church attendance is a better predictor of who will escape
drugs, poverty, crime, etc. than any other single variable bears serious attention from Texas policymakers. After all, Texas prison population grew
127 percent from 1990-95, the sharpest jump in the nation. Texas also has
the nations highest rate of incarceration.
Policy analyst and former Pentagon official Robert Maginnis has surveyed the pertinent data on religions power to curb delinquency:
Church attendance deters juvenile crime. Twelve of 13 pub
lished studies summarized in two reviews found that religious
commitment especially church attendance played a key
role in reducing delinquency.
An unpublished 1994 study of college students concluded that
involvement in religious activities in the preceding two years
21
was, far and away, the most important predictor of lower crime.
A 1993 study noted that religiosity reduced delinquency in
both highly and marginally religious settings even when adjust
ed for peer and family influence.
A 1985 study noted that religious black men living in poor
areas are more likely than nonreligious black men to leave the
areas and avoid crime and drug abuse.
Faith-Based Prisons and Rehab Programs? In Texas, there exist religious groups fully prepared to operate private correctional facilities (as
well as operate faith-based rehabilitation programs within existing State
prisons). These groups who see a bold new mission field rather than
a place of despair and anti-social values would be filled by adult
inmates nearing release (i.e., one or two years from parole eligibility or
mandatory release) who voluntarily choose to participate in the faithbased programming.
Such public-private partnerships privately financed and accredited
by the American Correctional Association would emphasize:
community responsibility;
strong moral and family commitments;
classroom instruction;
counseling and peer support; and
on-site vocational training.
The aim is change the basic attitudes of inmates, and to help them reenter society as contributing, self-sufficient citizens. And by paying the
inmate a prevailing wage, as some initiatives envision, the inmate can
contribute to his room and board, help support his family, make restitution to his victim(s), etc.
The inmate, who agrees to stay at least one year and fully participate in
all programs, services, and employment, would spend his last bit of
incarceration in a facility (i) dedicated to habilitation and reintegration,
and (ii) animated by moral and social values. Moreover, the programs
offer post-prison care for new outmates, such as mentoring and linking the inmate with a church family.
Programs of this nature have received accolades from leading law
enforcement and criminologists, business and religious leaders, advocates for both inmates and victims, and government officials at all levels.
Texas also boasts hundreds of other criminal justice ministries designed
to help ex-offenders find a spiritual base and re-enter society as responsible, contributing citizens. Out, But Not Free, for example, is a Dallas
faith-based, after-care program offering job training, family counseling,
educational assistance, and other support services. This post-release care
and nurturing program also brings together educational institutions,
businesses, churches, and the larger community to support ex-offenders
by bridging the gap between prison and the free world. OBNF leaders
say their goal is to help former offenders successfully reintegrate into
society and become spiritually whole, supportive of their families at
home and productive citizens at work. OBNF and hundreds of other
effective ministries are committed to ensuring that ex-offenders remain
ex-offenders.
Children ages 10-18 who dont

attend church are a third to a half
more likely to exhibit anti-social and
dysfunctional behavior.
HERITAGE FOUNDATION
Our nations youth crime problem

males ages 14-24 are only 8 percent
of the population, but make up more
than 25 percent of homicide victims
and nearly 50 percent of murderers
threatens to get worse. The number of children arrested for violent
crimes will more than double by
2010.
Texas spends $300 million a year on

rehabilitation programs with very little success to show for it.
State Senator John Whitmire, chair
of the Senate Criminal Justice
Committee, says Its time to start
spending that money better and
smarter.
Some of these children are now still

in diapers, and they can be saved.
So let our guiding principle be,
Build churches, not jails or we
will reap the whirlwind of our own
moral bankruptcy.
JOHN J. DIIULIO,
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY CRIMINOLOGIST
22
One faith-based program, the Texas

Association of X-Offenders, is
launching an Inmates Childrens
Fund, a year-round Angel Tree-type
program that provides structured
support to high-risk children of convicted felons. By reaching the children of prisoners, TAX is committed
to blocking the front end of the
juvenile crime pipeline.
Redemptive, healing, and restitution-based programs that try to steer

offenders toward responsibility deserve an opportunity in Texas. And
state officials must let these programs operate without meddlesome
restrictions that hamstring the program or squelch the religious nature of
their outreach. Everyone benefits when inmates become responsible, productive, law-abiding citizens.
RECOMMENDATION
The Task Force urges Texas officials to permit faith-based organizations to play a more significant role in the rehabilitation of criminal
inmates.
Second Chances: Mentoring Criminal Offenders
Report Appendix pp. 13-16, 19-21
Today, when Texas criminals are freed often not for the first time
theyre generally given a bus ticket, $200, and the name of their parole
officer. More often than not, theyll commit more crimes, return to
prison, get released . . . and then repeat the cycle again.
The Criminal Justice Ministry

Network of North Texas is an interdenominational networking group that
aims to motivate, educate, and
equip the church to develop local
criminal justice ministries. CJMN
hopes to link the over 110 criminal
justice ministries that now operate
in 64 North Texas counties.
Law-abiding Texans deserve better than a criminal population shuttling back and forth between society and jail (which many call graduate
schools for criminals). As for violent criminals, jail is where they should
be. Punishment ought to be swift, severe, and certain.
But in an age when it costs a small fortune to send someone to prison
and when most inmates will someday be back on our streets nonviolent offenders need to get changed, not just released. Anger at criminals is understandable. But we must act smartly if we want a less ominous future for Texas.
CJMN wants to involve 1,000 North

Texas churches in the network and to
provide a God-directed message of
hope to offenders, ex-offenders,
criminal justice professionals, victims, and families through a variety
of programs mentorship, volunteer chaplains, literacy training, congregational aftercare, counseling,
ex-offender and victim support, etc.
Offenders need strong role models, moral guidance, the accountability

of personal relationships, and a community that cares. Faith communities, as we know, have the resources not only to lend assistance, but to
transform lives.
Info.:
One Church-One Offender, an Indiana nonprofit, provides alternatives

to incarceration for nonviolent offenders through voluntary placement
with committees of local church members. In short, trained community
volunteers adopt and work one-on-one with nonviolent offenders to
help them become productive citizens and achieve a better life.
1900 Preston Rd., Suite 267-268

Plano, TX 75093
(800) CJM-PRAY
[email protected]
http://www.intur.net/cjmn
23
Courts should have the option to include a church-based mentoring

program as part of the offenders sentence.
One Program Worth Examining:

One Church One Offender
Goals: The goals are three-fold:

to offer nonviolent offenders an alternative to overcrowded,
expensive jails namely, a re-adjustive program of communitybased advocacy, education, and spiritual nurture
to encourage positive behavior and provide an environment

conducive to the growth of confidence, independence, selfreliance, and hopefulness
to reduce crime and recidivism by intervening in offenders
lives to encourage healthy behaviors that are useful to the
community
Results: The program is only five years old, but early results are
promising:
50 churches and 475 volunteers have been trained since the
programs inception
112 of 775 individuals requesting participation have been
accepted because of their willingness to abide by program
requirements
the program has a recidivism rate of 15 percent compared with
a recidivism of 50 percent for the local county jail, and the 65 per
cent rate nationally for probation departments
costs of incarceration in Allen County are $14,600 and $20,805
for men and women, respectively, while the annual program cost
per client is $3,138
The transforming power of the religious congregation is the best hope

for helping nonviolent offenders
escape the destructive cycle of
courts, jail, probation, and repeated
offenses. The clergy, law enforcement officials, educators, and business people agree that too often the
criminal justice system fails to
reform the offender. . . . [T]he legal
system [should] give the churches a
chance to make a difference.
ONE CHURCH-ONE OFFENDER
For more information:

One Church-One Offender
227 E. Washington Blvd.,
Suite 205
Fort Wayne, IN 46802-3137
(219) 422-8688
Texas could benefit from creative public-private partnerships between

congregations and the criminal justice system. All too often, released
inmates have a tough time finding work. Dependent on relatives and
old friends, they usually resume destructive habits and a life of crime,
often graduating to more serious and violent offenses. A structured, nonjail program that builds into the program accountability, follow-up, and
personal staff support bears all the hallmarks of what Dr. Olasky calls
effective compassion its challenging, personal, and spiritual.
The Task Force doesnt specifically endorse the One Church-One
Offender program, nor any other initiatives discussed in this Report, but
does urge policymakers to explore such programs for ideas beneficial to
Texas. Also, many of the innovative programs and efforts mentioned in
this Report, such as One Church-One Offender, are discussed in more
detail in the Appendix.
Not surprisingly, the presence and

interaction with fellow criminals
after leaving prison is one of the
chief predictors of recidivism.
THOMAS P. OCONNOR (WRITING FOR THE
AMERICAN CORRECTIONAL ASSOC.)
A collaborative effort between trained volunteers, professional staff,

and motivated clients including, wherever possible, the clients family
certainly merits a try. Perhaps Texas could re-tool the One ChurchOne Offender model to make it a voluntary part of post-incarceration sentencing so that released persons experience a sense of structure and community.
Texans weary of crime need not fall for the false choice of being hard
or soft on crime we can instead be smart and effective. Whether
we think anew about changing, not just releasing, nonviolent criminals is
a choice that will affect every Texan.
24
Many innovative initiatives help

reduce recidivism:
RECOMMENDATION
The Crime Prevention Institute, funded by the state, has brought 328
employers into Texas prisons to help
coach inmates for job interviews
through its Project Re-Enterprise
program.
In an effort to transform lives and break the expensive cycle of criminal recidivism, Texas should examine and consider implementing
church-based mentoring programs, either in lieu of incarcerating
nonviolent offenders or as part of post-incarceration sentencing.
Companies like Dell Computer, HEB,

IBM, and Exxon send employees to
teach interviewing techniques to
inmates slated for release.
Rotary Clubs and other service
groups like the Girl Scouts conduct
programs where volunteers try to
steer an inmate away from the direction his bad decisions are taking
him.
The National Reform Association
helps church groups set up job readiness programs for the homeless.
I dont know what your destiny will be, but one

thing I know:
The only ones among you who will be really
happy are those who have sought and found how
to serve.
ALBERT SCHWEITZER
25
HEALTH CARE
Increasing access by protecting medical volunteers
The effect of faith on the health of individuals is significant,
but its potential impact on the health of communities is
astounding.
FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER
Increasing Access
by Protecting Medical Volunteers
Many of our rural and urban neighbors find it difficult or impossible to
access medical care. Its estimated that some 1.3 million Texas children are not covered by health insurance. Often, these children arent from low-income families, but from working blue-collar homes that simply cannot afford insurance. The Texas Health Commissioner estimates that it would cost close to
$1 billion to provide health benefits to all of Texas uninsured youngsters.
Unless a physician volunteers, financial reality often deprives care to
patients unable to afford it. Doctors and nurses who volunteer their services, though, increase their exposure to malpractice claims, thus boosting their insurance premiums dramatically. Professionals willing to help
simply cannot afford to take the risk. Sadly, many Texas caregivers find
it easier to serve the poor abroad than they do in our own neighborhoods.
Doctors and nurses who volunteer their expertise should be commended, not threatened with unreasonable lawsuits. By protecting them,
Texas would encourage the noblest impulses of medicine by making it
easier for doctors and nurses to provide charitable care.
Texas could certainly benefit from community outreach programs
designed to provide preventive check-ups and other medical care to lowincome families.
Liability premiums are a substantial

factor in determining whether medical care is accessible. Higher premiums in turn lead to higher health
care costs.
Obstetrical services are particularly
hard-hit. By 1992, over 12 percent
of OB-GYNs had left the field, and
over 22 percent decreased the level
of high-risk care they provided. In
some rural states, less than half the
counties have a practicing obstetrician.
Many rural and urban residents find
it difficult or impossible to access
medical services.
Everyone benefits from such common-sense efforts:

the families Parents dont have to miss work to stay home
with sick, uninsured children, who missed 500,000 more school
days in illness-related absences in 1994 than kids who were
insured. In 1994, working Texans lost an estimated $22 million in
wages and productivity to care for sick, uninsured children.
the taxpayers By stressing preventive medicine and regular
check-ups, it saves money down the road and reduces costly ER
room visits. In 1995, the direct costs just to Texas 11 major metropolitan hospitals of providing uncompensated care to kids 12 and
under exceeded $100 million. Smaller area hospitals and clinics,
funded by local taxpayers, contributed millions more. Lack of health
insurance is a drag on Texas economic development.
the volunteers By bringing health screening and immunizations directly to peoples homes, medical student-volunteers
could get valuable practical training.
26
HEALTH CARE
Low-income health services in Texas:

three worthwhile efforts
One initiative in Houston is The Health Buggy Health Care in the Home
program. Operated by the nonprofit Kid-Care Inc. and the University of
Texas-Houston Health Science Center which supplies volunteers via
a new elective course for fourth-year medical students the Health
Buggy effort provides free in-home health screening, immunizations,
etc. for the needy. Kid Care (which also offers a meals-on-wheels program for needy children) operates its house call program solely from
private donations. Carol Porter, director of Kid-Care, says One of my
goals was to bring health care directly to the children, and this is with
no additional taxpayers dollars.
Manos de Cristo is a Presbyterian ministry that runs Austins largest

dental clinic for poor residents. In 1995, the clinic treated 4,300 people;
for 1996, the estimate is 6,000.
El Buen Samaritano Episcopal Center, aside from providing hot meals

to the homeless, also offers a family health clinic. In 1995, the center
served about 5,000 poor Austinites. This year, it will likely surpass 6,000.
In 1992, some Los Angeles medical

professionals opened a clinic to provide medical care to the poor. LA
County covered the volunteers with
malpractice insurance. Now 200
area doctors and nurses staff the
clinic.
One local official noted the volunteers important role: The doctors
at county health facilities are often
busy with inoculations and other preventive medicine. But bringing lowcost primary care services to this
area, the clinic has been a big help
in filling the gaps in our coverage.
The founder of the Azusa Evening
Clinic, Dr. George Ferenczi, recalls,
Initially, the county was shocked.
They couldnt believe that doctors
and nurses would want to work for
free.
27
The faith community is a powerful vehicle for reaching vulnerable and

distressed populations, and the interest in health and faith partnerships
is growing stronger. In Maryland, the Heart, Body & Soul program links
250 churches in East Baltimore that operate a model of neighborhood care
wherein clergy and neighbors provide outreach and screening services,
often going door-to-door in a region that has poor health statistics.
Another interfaith effort is the Health and Faith Coalition of Los Angeles,
which sets up health education and screening programs within local
churches. Volunteers persuade thousands of their at-risk neighbors to be
tested for conditions like diabetes and hypertension, attend information
workshops, get immunizations for their children, etc. Says Executive
Director Joni Goodnight:
These are places where the church is a much-trusted and
respected institution. Once a beloved pastor or priest becomes
involved with a disease prevention or health promotion program, credibility grows and health behaviors begin to change.
The Interfaith Health Program (IHP) of The Carter Center in Atlanta
seeks to strengthen the health-faith movement and serves as a clearinghouse of best practices of interfaith partnerships. IHP recently
launched a Web site to promote its ministry strategies: http://www.interaccess.com/ihpnet/. Medical training coupled with religious commitment is
a powerful prescription for better health.
RECOMMENDATION
Texas should provide legal protections to medical professionals who
provide charitable care to needy Texans who otherwise lack access to
quality medical services.

1. Provide greater legal protections for any licensed health care professional who volunteers free medical services to a medically underserved person.
2. Encouraging malpractice insurance companies and other employerinsurers to cover such volunteer activities at no extra cost.
Most people with serious mental and

physical disabilities live at home,
often struggling with lifes everyday
basics.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
supports about 400 interfaith coalitions that are providing informal,
long-term care to the 35 million
Americans with chronic health conditions. For years, RWJF has built
powerful health-faith partnership,
in which the nations churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses
of worship recruit, train and mobilize volunteers of all denominations
as a ministry of caregiving to their
neighbors in need.
The effort (i) identifies those needing help, and (ii) mobilizes caring
volunteers to step in.
Also, the National Federation of
Interfaith Caregivers provides assistance and technical expertise to
communities wishing to start ministries of caregiving.
28
HEALTH CARE
Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime;

therefore, we must be saved by hope. Nothing true
or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any
immediate context of history; therefore we must
be saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we are
saved by love. No virtuous act is quite as virtuous
from the standpoint of our friend or foe as from
our standpoint. Therefore, we must be saved by the
final form of love which is forgiveness.
REINHOLD NIEBUHR
29
SELF-HELP INITIATIVES
AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
CORPORATIONS

Strengthening and empowering

neighborhood self-help groups
One more government program, one more cop on the street
is not going to work. . . . The community needs to take
responsibility and initiative that develop at the grass roots
level to reclaim the neighborhood and intervene in the lives of
its youth. We need a whole neighborhood philosophy.
JOAN WAGNON, KANSAS
STATE LEGISLATOR
Research shows something important. Low-income people facing

crises do not turn first to government (rightly the institution of last
resort). Rather, they resort first to family, a neighborhood group, a congregation, or some other close-by resource. These local institutions of
first choice, as Robert Woodson calls them, should be the axle around
which our efforts to aid the poor revolve.
BRIDGES: One example worth exploring
We believe the best strategy to community development is a communitydriven, comprehensive approach

which coordinates economic, physical, environmental, community, and
human needs.
ROBERT PUTNAM, HARVARD UNIVERSITY
The Michigan Neighborhood Partnership (MNP) is a nonprofit group

formed to strengthen the capacity of community-based organizations
in the Detroit area to improve the quality of life in the neighborhoods
they serve. The partnership encourages new initiatives requiring cooperation and support from the larger community. The initiatives focus on
economic development and support the self-sufficiency of individuals
and families, including business creation, job training and placement,
youth enterprise and community development.
In 1993, MNP started BRIDGES Building Relationships Increases
Detroits Growing Economic Stability Detroits faith-based empowerment network.
Mission: To assist Detroits faith-based groups in their neighborhood

outreach efforts to nurture children, strengthen families and revitalize
neighborhoods.
History: Launched in 1993 as a collaborative of faith-based groups in
partnership with other neighborhood organizations, government, business, educational and religious institutions. BRIDGES resulted from the
October 1995 Clergy Summit, called by Governor John Engler at the
request of clergy leaders. In January 1996, MNP was contracted to
assist churches in their post-Summit, and BRIDGES was born.
Information: (313) 872-0195

We need to harness self-help initiatives to revitalize distressed communities. We need to celebrate the local mediating structures that people in crisis so often choose for themselves. As writer Michael Novak puts it, these civilizing institutions must be the North Star of a new bipartisan agenda to
restore economic, social, and spiritual health to low-income neighborhoods.
30
COMMUNITY SELF-HELP INITIATIVES
The act of conversion is empowering

in ways that simply feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and housing
the homeless are not.
ANTHONY A. PARKER,
SOJOURNERS MAGAZINE
Many religious groups serve as catalysts for community development.

In Austin, Ebenezer Baptist Church
and four other African-American
churches have begun revitalizing
their communitys dilapidated commercial district. In 1988, they
launched the East Austin
Development Corporation, which
boasts a day care center, a senior
center, housing for the elderly, commercial space, etc.
The contributions of time and money
from church members have, in turn,
leveraged outside financial support.
Texas could benefit from a coordinated effort to highlight and demonstrate the vital importance of successful neighborhood groups. Lowincome neighborhoods need to be at the policymaking table, they need
training and technical assistance, they need synergistic, novel, and market-based partnerships between area businesses and service providers.
In short, they need an empowerment agenda that will do not just
study at least three things: (i) strengthen and empower self-help
groups that are beating poverty and leading people to self-sufficiency, (ii)
stimulate enterprise, investment, and job creation in poor communities,
and (iii) strengthen families and individuals. Grassroots leaders who
have been trained in the emergency rooms of civil society merit a
prominent place in the community-based battle against poverty.
Like the BRIDGES network in Detroit, a local faith-based clearinghouse could:
offer technical assistance and program development support
to religious groups
help such groups get access to training in community and
economic development
nurture partnerships between various state agencies and
church bodies
implement a computer communications network to provide
access to information
share the power and theology of faith-based development
provide resources to religious programs that strengthen
families and restore communities.
Voice of Hope
Voice of Hope is based in a poor, black area of West Dallas. It bears
all the usual trappings of a government-run community development
welfare program: job training, health clinic, home rehabilitation and
construction, thrift store, clean-up campaigns.
But Voice of Hope emphasizes the Bible and parental involvement.
Children who attend Bible classes also begin job training at the age of
nine. Teens and their parents are offered classes to learn computer
skills, music, math, bookkeeping, and art. In 13 years, the ministry has
grown to a more than $700,000/year endeavor that will change the lives
of 140 families in West Dallas this year.
Those changes wont all be comfortable for their clients, says founder
Mrs. Dudley. The intensity of the way we work with our families is very
high, she says. We work with a family for six months in our housing
program, helping them to set up a budget, helping them to start a savings account. We help them overcome credit problems, write letters to
creditors. We dont do it for them; we do it alongside them. The key is
to build people, not just houses.
Public Housing Specifically: Public housing developments ought to be

safe and hospitable environments for raising children. Local community development corporations (CDCs) are uniquely positioned to rehabilitate, preserve and manage housing for low and moderate income people. These grassroots groups recognize the imperative need not for
dependent renters, but for responsible owners who have a stake in their
communities.
31
Housing assistance should not dilute the human spirit of helpless tenants; it should encourage them to save and dream. CDCs, which serve as
economic development incubators, are doing this every day.
Todays public housing environment needs wholesale transformation.
Consider:
Public housing residents are three times more likely to be victims of violent crime then the average of households nationwide.
42 percent of public housing residents in one survey
said they had heard gunfire nearby. Nearly half of residents say
their neighborhoods are troubled by drug trafficking.
The Neighborhood Reinvestment

Training Institute offers symposia on
ways to mobilize the faith community to achieve local redevelopment
goals.
1325 G St. N.W., Suite 800
Washington, D.C. 20005
(202) 376-2642
RECOMMENDATION
Texas should craft and embrace initiatives for low-income communities that empower grassroots organizations, stimulate economic activity, strengthen families, and foster self-sufficiency and independence.

1. Build and expand upon the work of this Task Force by inviting established self-help experts to help Texas research, design and implement a bold legislative and regulatory agenda that achieves genuine
reform and empowerment for low-income neighborhoods.
2. Convene a State Clergy Summit to demonstrate the States commitment to collaborate with and support faith-based groups in their
efforts to strengthen families and revitalize neighborhoods.
3. Encourage the donation or sale of land, homes, and commercial/industrial structures to neighborhoods, community development corporations,
etc. for public purposes such as low-income housing.
4. Urge state and local governments, wherever possible, to offer properties for sale (on a cost recovery basis) to local CDCs that provide
housing opportunities to low-income families.
5. Review liability insurance and complex administrative hurdles that
now represent service entry barriers to community service organizations seeking to use public housing units.
32
COMMUNITY SELF-HELP INITIATIVES
The world is moved along, not only by the mighty

shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of
the tiny pushes of each honest worker.
HELEN KELLER
33
CONGREGATIONS IN ACTION:
Innovative programming
that makes a difference
Thousands of congregations and faith-based agencies across Texas are

already performing daily feats of service and restoration. A detailed list
of the often-heroic ways they serve their fellow Texans would go on and
on, and still omit quite a few.

The time is always right to do what

is right.
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
battling child abuse

mentoring at-risk children and nonviolent offenders
attacking poverty, hunger, and homelessness
combating substance abuse
moving families off welfare
building strong communities
counseling criminal offenders
strengthening marriages and families
These invaluable efforts certainly merit our applause.
Its true that congregations, like their individual members, have
A fuller description of some initiatives that came to the Task Forces
attention is provided at pages 10-22 of the Report Appendix. The Task
Force encourages the Texas faith community to study these programs
and, where possible and where led to do so, consider adopting similar
efforts.
Now is the time in our country for a

renaissance of caring. There are so
many disconnects among people
where is our common bond?
We cannot affort to fail.
BARBARA JORDAN
diverse talents and vocations. Some may have a knack for mentoring
troubled teens while others may excel at battling drug abuse. There are
countless opportunities for service, and members of the faith community
must focus their energies on where they can be most effective. More and
more ministries are seeking outside guidance and support.
Religious Volunteer Coordinators: Some congregations are appointing
church members to serve as point-people for service opportunities in the
area. Coordinators of congregation-based volunteer efforts sometimes
convene across the country. The membership associations meet regularly, elect officers, and provide various professional development programs.
Leadership Training Network

A group called Leadership Training Network (LTN) provides training and
technical assistance to religious leaders.
Members of churches, synagogues

and other communities of faith are
more likely to contribute free time to
help needy people. Among those
who regularly attend church, 63 percent volunteered; among those not
attending church, 44 percent volunteered; among the general population, 58 percent volunteered.
BARNA RESEARCH GROUP, 1991
Contact Information: Association of Religious Volunteer Leaders, c/o

Judy Jacks, VP Membership, 13137 Tahoe Drive, Dallas, Texas, 75240.
Or contact LTNs sponsor, Leadership Network, at (800) 765-5323.
Outside Financial Support: Faith-based programs hoping to expand

their services (and bracing for more clients) are increasingly turning to
corporations and foundations for support. One such resource is the
34
CONGREGATIONS IN ACTION
Changes in the welfare system along

with the harsh realities of life
among the poor, especially the children, challenge us to step up our
efforts to build genuine community
in the heart of the city. Every aspect
of our ministry must grow [listing
the ministrys job-training, food
pantry, health clinic, tutoring and
nutrition programs] . . . . As the
federal government forces the needs
of people closer to home, people of
faith, goodwill and a sense of Gods
call must meet the challenge and
see a opportunity. Most of all, people long for hope. I know that working together we can supply it.
LARRY JAMES (WRITING TO FRIENDS AND
CENTRAL DALLAS MINISTRIES)
Robert Wood Johnson Foundations Faith in Action program.

Faith in Action programs offer a wide array of volunteer services, such
as respite care for families caring for people with Alzheimers and AIDS,
or providing transportation to the disabled. The Foundation, which provides start-up grants of $25,000 for each program, has noticed todays
increased interest in non-government funding. In 1984, 25 Faith in Action
programs got off the ground; now there are 300 programs in 35 states.
The Austin area, with 11 programs, has more than any other area in the nation.
The Lilly Endowment provides grants for religious partnerships with
community development initiatives. Other organizations, like the
Neighborhood Reinvestment Training Institute, offer workshops on how
to recruit time, talent, and money from regional and national bodies,
foundations, and government.
At days end, we are optimistic. True, religious social ministries face
formidable challenges, and they cannot do it all. Were not suggesting
they should. But as the welfare landscape changes in Texas, every Texan
particularly those inspired by their faith should make a personal
and renewed investment in the lives of their neighbors and communities.
PARTNERS OF
RECOMMENDATION
Given the impressive efforts of the faith community across Texas to
meet critical needs combating child abuse, mentoring at-risk youth,
moving families off welfare, strengthening marriages, supporting caseworkers, etc. we respectfully encourage our fellow citizens to examine these groups diverse, important programming and consider adopting similar efforts where possible. Moreover, Texas should take active
and ongoing steps to facilitate the work of private social service
providers, including faith-based ones.

1. Designate an ombudsman in state government who can intervene
and trouble-shoot when private providers run into bureaucratic and
other obstacles. Providers often need someone to turn to for help,
information, and advocacy.
2. Urge the creation of an information clearinghouse on private
social service providers. Such a clearinghouse could, for example, publish a list of programs that private providers might be able to participate in, publish regular newsletters, consult with individual
providers, distribute various publications (such as the resource guide
Faith Communities prepared by the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration), etc. The clearinghouse could also, among other
things, develop and inventory profiles of successful faith-based models across Texas.
35
3. Publish perhaps at the county level a comprehensive, up-todate directory of private and faith-based resources that would be disseminated to public welfare officials, community leaders, businesses,
criminal justice officials, recipients, police and neighborhood associations, etc. This information could serve at least two purposes:
Serve as a handy resource of participants in Texas charitable choice voucher system.
Provide a list of referral agencies to which public officials
and others could direct people needing assistance; this aid
could be rendered before the applicant seeks and receives publicly-funded benefits.
4. Link faith-based leaders and volunteers through the upcoming
TxServe on-line computer network. (TxServe is an interactive telecommunications network linking volunteer and community service leaders
across Texas and providing state-of-the-art information in volunteer
management and service delivery.)
5. Urge Texas to convene a summit among practitioners across Texas to
highlight the vital role of religious nonprofits and where faith-based
providers could share what works and why ideas, approaches, and
processes about how to set up a service initiative, etc. Participants
could share information, discuss barriers, and make further recommendations for policy innovations as well as the development of a peer
validation system.
In August 1996, James Griggs

received the Governors Volunteer
Leadership Award for excellence in
community-based volunteerism.
Griggs is the co-founder and director
of the largest nonprofit, all-volunteer corporation and provider of
food, clothing and other ministries
in Taylor County. He recruits and
supervises about 150 volunteers
daily, and nobody including
Griggs receives a salary for the
services they render.
As director of the Abilene Baptist
Association Social Ministries, Inc.,
Griggs recruits and coordinates volunteers from 33 churches. Since its
inception, Social Ministries has provided assistance to over 30,000 families, roughly 110,000 people. It has
grown at the rate of 80 families a
month each year.
6. Incorporate into the Governors annual Volunteer Leadership

Conference regular programming of particular interest to faith-based
providers.
7. Designate special recognition and achievement awards to successful
faith-based providers and other effective self-help community initiatives as part of the ongoing Governors Volunteer Leadership Awards
and the Governors Volunteer Awards for Outstanding Service.
8. Urge creation of a special fund to which would-be providers could
apply for seed money, either to start a new agency or to start a new program. The emphasis of this fund which could be funded from voluntary individual and business contributions (perhaps with business
tax incentives) would be upon new, creative, innovative programs
dealing with persistent social problems.
9. Consider business tax incentives to spur greater charitable involvement with effective low-income community initiatives.
36
CONGREGATIONS IN ACTION
Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.
JOHN WESLEY
If there be any truer measure of a man than by

what he does, it must be by what he gives.
ROBERT SOUTH
37
APPENDIX
Governor Bushs Executive Order
2-3*
Religious Child-Care Exemption Chart

Prepared by the Christian Law Association
Partial List of Early Childhood Education Accrediting Bodies
4-5*
6-8
Innovative Programming Now Making a Difference in the Faith Community

1.
Child Abuse Prevention
10-12
2.
Combating Substance Abuse
13
3.
Mentoring At-Risk Youth
13-14
4.
Gang Intervention and Combating Inner-City Youth Violence
14-16
5.
Battling Poverty and Building Strong Communities
16-19
6.
Mentoring Nonviolent Criminal Offenders
19-21
7.
Supporting Public Caseworkers and Nursing Home Residents
21
Information on Congressional Efforts to Revive Civil Society

The Project for American Renewal
22-25
Saving Our Children: The American Community Renewal Act of 1996
25-27
*Not available in the on-line version of the Full Report.
Life is a place of service, and in that service one

has to suffer a great deal that is hard to bear,
but more often to experience a great deal of
joy.
Tolstoi
A-1
PARTIAL LIST OF EARLY CHILDHOOD

EDUCATION ACCREDITING BODIES
There are many child care accrediting bodies that help ensure quality
service, including:
National Academy of Early Childhood Programs

(The Academy)
The Academy is a national, professionally-sponsored, voluntary
accreditation system for all types of preschools, kindergartens, child care
centers, and school-age child care programs. The Academy, founded in
1985, is administered by the National Association for the Education of
Young Children (NAEYC), the nations largest organization of early
childhood educators. As of Fall 1995, The Academys effort to improve
the quality of care and education for young children had extended to
more than 4,500 early childhood programs in all 50 states (over 360 in
Texas alone). Another 8,000 programs were undergoing the accreditation
review process. About 15-20 percent of them are church-related.
The three-part NAEYC accreditation process self-study, validation,
and decision examines the total program, but places the greatest
emphasis on the quality of interactions among staff and children and the
developmental appropriateness of the curriculum . . . the nature of the
childs experience. And programs may apply whether theyre full- or
part-time, profit or nonprofit. Cost varies depending on the number of
children enrolled in the program.
The Academy: (202) 328-2601
NAEYC: (800) 424-2460
The Ecumenical Child Care Network:

Promoting Excellence in Religious Child Care
The Ecumenical Child Care Network (ECCN) is a national membership
organization for child-care and Head Start programs housed in or related to religious congregations.
Over the past seven years, faith-based child-care programs have
found a way to strengthen relationships and their shared commitment to
serve families. ECCN has created Congregations and Child Care, a
self-study process that promotes high-quality care by involving early
childhood professionals and congregations in rigorous self-study.
Congregations and Child Care can be used by any child-care program
housed in or run by a religious group.
The recognition process of Congregations and Child Care complements the accreditation conferred by the National Academy of Early
Childhood Programs (The Academy), a division of the National
Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
Congregations and Child Care builds on accreditation by providing a
forum in which to discuss the complex issues that impact the quality of
programs related to religious congregations. While the self-study may
be used by any child care program, ECCN awards recognition only to
programs accredited by The Academy.
A-6
Childhood Educ. Accrediting Bodies
The ECCN process underscores the critical importance of high-quality education and care. In the past two years, ECCN has systematized the
self-study process in a National Council on Recognition (NCR). Today,
NCR coordinates a Mentor Assistance Program that provides trained
skilled mentors to self-study participants, reviews and evaluates completed self-study portfolios, and awards ECCN recognition to the congregations and early childhood programs that successfully meet the
goals and criteria of Congregations and Child Care and are accredited
by The Academy.
For info. about membership services, publications, and the self-study
recognition program:
ECCN
1580 N. Northwest Hwy., Suite 115
Park Ridge, IL 60068
(708) 298-1612
Texas Association for the Education

of Young Children (TAEYC)
TAEYC and local affiliates such as the Dallas Association for the
Education of Young Children, work in conjunction with NAEYC to promote quality child-care through (i) voluntary accreditation via standards
that state officials concede are much higher than Licensings minimum
standards, and (ii) training of child-care professionals.
As parents make the extremely important choice of out-of-home care,
they must feel confident that their child is getting quality care and education. The above-listed and other recognized systems help by stamping
a mark of approval on high-quality providers.
TAEYC: (214) 387-3533
Central office: (512) 451-2392
National Association for Family Child Care

(NAFCC) Accreditation
NAFCC is a professional organization representing family and group
home child care providers that recognizes and encourages high-quality
care for children in family child care settings. Since 1981, NAFCC has
offered recognition to providers who have demonstrated a commitment
to standards of excellence in seven areas: safety, health, nutrition, interacting, learning environment, outdoor environment, and professional
responsibility. More than 1,400 providers in 41 states and the District of
Columbia have achieved accreditation through NAFCC.
NAFCC: (800) 359-3817
National Early Childhood Program Accreditation

(NECPA)
A-7
NECPA developed by the National Child Care Association is an

independent, voluntary accreditation program focusing on early childhood care and education programs. Since 1992, NECPA has awarded
accreditation to 44 centers in 10 states. As of July 1996, there were 11
NECPA-accredited programs in Texas. The staff at Kiddie Kampus I and
II in Texas said, The NECPA self-study reinforced a good self-image

among staff and management concerning our programs and schools as a
whole. However, we did discover a few areas which need a little polish.
Together, we buffed em to a lovely shine. Needless to say, all benefited.
NECPA: (800) 543-7161
National Accreditation Council

for Early Childhood Professional
Personnel and Programs (NACECPPP)
The Council is a national nonprofit that supports private-licensed, center-based, and ecumenical early childhood programs under the sponsorship of the Child Care Institute of America. Since it began in 1992,
NACECPPPs three-step review process self-study, validation, and
decision has accredited 80 programs in five states.
National System for Improvement

and Accreditation of School-Age Care Programs
A system is being developed through the collaboration of the National
School-Age Child Care Alliance (NSACCA) and the School-Age Child
Care Project (SACCP) of the Center for Research on Women at Wellesley
College. The system will be piloted this Fall in over 40 programs.
SACCP: (617) 283-2547
NSACCA: (202) 737-6722
National Association
for Family Day Care (NAFDC)
NAFDC: (800) 359-3817
National Family Day Care

Home Accreditation Association
A-8
Childhood Educ. Accrediting Bodies
If we do not lay out ourselves in the service of

mankind whom shall we serve?
ABIGAIL ADAMS
A-9
INNOVATIVE PROGRAMMING
THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE
Child Abuse: Protecting Texas Children
Some have rightly described child abuse as the most devastating betrayal of the closest human relationship parent and child. Preventing abuse
is vital to childrens futures, and to ours, too. A child who suffers
abuse/neglect is 40 percent more likely to become delinquent.
Every year in America, there are millions of reports of suspected child
abuse and neglect. A child dies in America from abuse every four hours.
According to DPRS, there were 168,612 reports of child abuse/neglect in
FY 1995 (about 70 percent of investigations went unconfirmed that year).
The Alliance for Children of Fort Worth estimates that abuse/neglect
investigations cost about $420 million in 1995. DPRS estimates that
fully 25 percent of Texas children 1.3 of 5.3 million have been
abused/neglected or may be at risk of it. From FY 1991-95, the recidivism rate for abuse/neglect victims is about 34 percent.
While we all share the responsibility to ensure a safer world for children, the faith community is uniquely positioned to help prevent abuse.
Many effective interventions to safeguard children rest with churches
and other religious groups. Several churches are weighing in. At
Riverbend Church in Austin, the Angels Afoot program raised almost
$12,000 in two Sundays to buy playground equipment for a program
serving abused and neglected children. In April 1996, 40 church volunteers built a play area. Chairwoman Verda Berrys response was simple:
As needs arise, we will just take care of them as they come.
One impressive effort to combat child abuse is the Child Abuse
Prevention Coalition of Dallas (CAPCO), a group comprised of individuals and 18 agencies and churches. In May 1996, CAPCO published a
resource book for faith communities, Child Abuse: Everybodys Business, in
order to (i) inform people where to turn if they suspect child abuse, and
(ii) educate the religious community on steps it can take to protect children.
CAPCOs extensive resource book contains a notable 10-point plan
describing what the faith community can do, either as an outreach to others in the community or to fellow church members, to protect the physical and emotional safety of Texas most vulnerable citizens.
Below is a near-verbatim recap of CAPCOs impressive 10-point plan
describing what the faith community can do, either as an outreach to others in the community or to fellow church members, to protect the physical safety and emotional well-being of Texas most vulnerable citizens:
1. After-School Programs Research shows that having a safe place for
children after school can reduce the stress for the working parent and
enhance the life of the child. An after-school program can consist of homework help, crafts, games, field trips, and other learning-for-life activities.
The number of children accepted depends on the face available.
TROUBLING FACTS AND FIGURES:

One of every six Texas children is
at risk of abuse/neglect.
The nations number of
abuse/neglect cases doubled from
1986 to 1993, from 1.4 million to
2.8 million. The number of children
seriously injured from mistreatment quadrupled from 143,000 to
nearly 570,000 over the same period.
Kids who grow up in violent homes
are:
6 times more likely to commit
suicide
sexual assaults
crimes against the person
50 times more likely to abuse
alcohol or drugs
Child abuse and neglect is the leading cause of juvenile delinquency.
Increasing the chance of arrest
as a juvenile by 53 percent; 38
percent as an adult
13,861 youth were referred to
the Dallas Co. Juvenile Department
in 1993
67 percent of those juveniles
reported being abused
TEXAS COMMISSION
ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH; U.S. DEPARTMENT
OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
A-10
Preventing Child Abuse
We believe that the faith community

can play a major role in providing
appropriate response when abuse
occurs and in working to reduce the
number of children hurt by abuse.
There are many organizations that can help set up after-school programs. For more information, contact the Greater Dallas Injury
Prevention Center: (214) 590-4461.
2. Day Care Some children are left at home alone or with an inappropriate caretaker while the parents work because affordable or accessible
day care is not provided.
CAPCO
Many faith communities already provide day care. A helpful idea
would be to provide some scholarship money for those who cannot
afford the price of day care. Local community centers can help to identify families who would need your help with day care.
Through day care centers, important information can be given to parents on child abuse prevention. Workers at the center can be trained on
recognizing and reporting child abuse.
The Child Care Group is a nonprofit agency specializing in child care:
(214) 630-7911.
3. Respite Care for Parents Parents of mentally, emotionally, or physically impaired children need some time away to regenerate their energy.
Often times there is nobody who is able or willing to care for a special
needs child. Congregations can provide one night once or twice a month
which is a respite night for these parents. Trained volunteers or paid professionals can provide a safe haven for the children while the parents are
out.
For more information, contact the Greater Dallas Injury Prevention
Center.
4. Crisis Nursery Some children are left alone or neglected when a crisis occurs to which the parents need to attend. Sometimes a parent is at
the stress point that they cannot stand another hour with the child. A crisis nursery is a place where the parent can go to leave the child until the
emergency passes. A congregation can provide such a nursery because
many already have a nursery for children during worship.
Center.
5. In-home Visitors Research shows that one of the most effective programs is one that starts in the hospital as the child is born. Trained volunteers get to know the parents in the hospital and then continue to visit
in the home. The mentor provides insight on parenting, answers the hard
questions, gives encouragement, and is a resource of information on how
to access agencies for further help. This is especially helpful when there
is no grandparent available to give guidance.
Center.
6. Parents Anonymous Parents Anonymous is a national organization
that allows parents the opportunity to talk to each other. Comfort comes
in knowing others are having similar experiences. Insight comes from
hearing one anothers perspective. Release comes from being able to
ventilate about emotional issues. We know that Parents Anonymous
works.
A-11
A congregation could sponsor a P.A. group in their building or in the
community. For more information, contact Parents Anonymous of Texas:

(800) 252-3048.
7. Educational Campaign on Child Abuse An intentional campaign to
help folks know what is abuse and what is appropriate discipline is needed in each congregation and throughout the city. Many people do not
realize the impact their actions or lack of action has on the child. Some
do not know creative ways to discipline a child that keeps the esteem of
the child intact. Classes, information, childrens sermons, Bible studies,
bulletin boards, and hand-outs can all be used to reinforce these points.
CAPCO is eager to assist any group

with education about child abuse
and how to best organize prevention
efforts and can be reached through
the Greater Dallas Injury Prevention
Center at (214) 590-4461.
Some helpful handouts that can be reproduced are available in

CAPCOs resource book. Space could be designated as a Parents Cornet
to provide helpful hand-outs and other reading resources on a permanent
basis. For further help with proper discipline, contact The Chance
Center: (214) 351-3490.
If your congregation would like to develop and sponsor a city-wide
campaign, contact the Greater Dallas Injury Prevention Center.
8. Parenting for All Ages Congregations can provide parenting classes
for the members by contacting one of the many organizations listed in the
Parenting Education Programs in Dallas County guide provided in
CAPCOs resource book. Congregations may want to play a role in getting local business and corporations to sponsor worksite classes.
It is important to start parent education when a child is in elementary
school. Attitudes and ideas are most easily formed at this age. Children
can become aware of abuse and help peers recognize when they need
help with an abusive situation.
The most effective parenting classes are those that have follow-up in
the home.
9. Teaching Congregational Volunteerism Each member of the congregation who volunteers to work with children should be trained in recognizing and reporting child abuse. Each member should also be trained in
effective, non-abusive ways to discipline.
CAPCOs resource book also describes countless ways people can volunteer on behalf of children.
For training on recognizing and reporting child abuse, contact the
Dallas Childrens Advocacy Center: (214) 818-2600.
10. Advocacy One of the important continual roles of the faith community is to advocate for childrens rights and for ways to protect children. Two groups can help to guide the congregation:
Greater Dallas Community of Churches: (214) 824-8680
North Texas Coalition for Children: (214) 640-7790
The resource contains a wide array of useful materials (i.e., how to
identify child abuse, guidelines for safely using volunteers, volunteer
opportunities aimed at preventing child abuse, a prevention resource
directory, pertinent worship materials, etc.).
A-12
Preventing Child Abuse
Drug and Alcohol Abuse:

The One Church One Addict Program
I feel that One Church-One Addict is a
natural outgrowth of One Church-One
Child. People are much more sympathetic to kids than to addicts. But I
tell people that Im not excusing or
defending addiction. We say, Love
the addict, hate the addiction.
FATHER GEORGE CLEMENTS
If Jesus was walking around today,
hed be working in the area of substance abuse. Jesus lived on the
cutting edge and helped others. We
must do the same.
FATHER CLEMENTS
In 1980, Father George Clements launched from his Chicago parish a

program called One Church-One Child. His vision for every church
family to place a homeless child has blossomed into a national program thats found homes for more than 50,000 children. Father Clements
even adopted four youngsters himself. The Vatican supported his controversial move, and a 1987 television movie told his compelling story.
In 1994, Father Clements weary of despair-filled drug zones
joined with the American Alliance for Rights and Responsibilities (a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C.) to tackle an even thornier problem:
helping recovering drug addicts and alcoholics find support in their religious communities.
All faiths are urged to do something about drug addiction and/or alcoholism in their communities. Counseling and support are provided by
trained volunteers, who meet with clients one on one and teach them
how to live abundantly without drugs or booze. The clients most of
whom enter the program after leaving a rehab center or clinic receive
support for about nine months . . . although theres no rigid time limit.
Since its 1994 inception, more than 700 churches in over 30 states have
signed on, and 2,000-plus people have found solid support network in
their fight against substance abuse.
For more information on One Church - One Addict, write Dept. P,
Suite 250, 1146 19th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036, or call (800)
942-2771
Mentoring At-Risk Youth

Austin Metropolitan Ministries, comprised of about 140 congregations and
organizations, serves the Austin community by partnering with the Travis County
Juvenile Court to provide mentors for
first-time offenders. (AMM has also
rehabilitated over 400 homes in East
Austin since 1990.)
In Texas, it costs around $30,000-35,000 a year to detain one juvenile in

state custody. Reaching at-risk youngsters is critical.
In Houston, Covenant House provides free

emergency shelter and myriad other services mentoring, education, health
care, counseling, sanctuary, child care,
etc. for homeless, runaway, at-risk and
throwaway youth.
Several mentoring groups such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters (75,000

matches strong), 100 Black Men, etc. are dedicated to reinforcing the
character of children, and theyve shown extraordinary success in
reclaiming young lives:
The Need for Role Models: This is a timeless truth: moral responsibility and character are keys both to individual success and social order.
Mark Fleisher, an urban ethnographer, reports that an abundance of
scholarly evidence shows that antisocial and delinquent tendencies
emerge early in the lives of neglected, abused and unloved youngsters,
often by age 9.
A recent study looked at 959 10-16-year-olds in the Big

Brothers/Big Sisters program: over 60 percent were boys; more
than half were minorities, mostly black; over 80 percent came
from poor households; 40 percent from homes with a history of
substance abuse; and nearly 30 percent from homes with a history of serious domestic violence.
The results were startling: the addition of a Big Brother or Big
A-13
Sister to a youngsters life for one year cut first-time drug use by
46 percent, lowered school absenteeism by 52 percent and
reduced violent behavior by 33 percent.
Participants were much less likely to start using alcohol; less
likely to assault someone; more likely to do well in school; and
far more apt to relate well to others. The effects held across races
for boys and girls.
The Impact of Religion Specifically: Studies consistently show that
choosing religious peers has a tremendous influence on youngsters
behavior. The Justice Departments national youth study concluded that
friends who misbehaved or abused drugs wielded great influence over
their friends, influence that grew over time.
Other studies report similar results:
Three published studies found that the best predictor of youth
drug use is associating with drug-using peers.
The Study Connection Program, an

Indiana mentoring program, boasts
impressive results 1,000 students
meet weekly with a volunteer mentor.
Results from the 1993-94 school
year show students with greater academic achievement, higher selfesteem, better behavior, and
increased attendance.
Another study of school-based mentoring programs found that it measurably increases the odds that children will enjoy success in school
(i.e., academics, attendance, attentiveness, and overall performance).
A 1983 study found that ones religious views affect the selection of friends and enhances family stability two variables
closely linked with reduced delinquency.
A 1981 study showed that when youngsters enjoy a religious
friendship network, spiritual concerns are more prominent
and more part of everyday interaction.
Mentoring programs can play a key role in rescuing children before
they become trouble. The character-building work of such programs is
among the most important in the process of cultural renewal. Its essential that we reach at-risk children in Texas.
Mobilizing Churches Against Gangs

and Youth Violence
There is enormous potential for schoolbased mentoring . . . [and expanding

such efforts] will greatly enhance the
opportunities for implementing effective
programs throughout the country which
will help thousands of children and
youth develop into responsible and caring adults.
THOMAS M. MCKENNA, NATIONAL EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR, BIG BROTHERS/BIG SISTERS
Its either barbed wire and more black juvenile superpredators,

or civil society and more black churches. Its that simple.
REVEREND EUGENE RIVERS
The urban crisis demands higher assistance. Well-intentioned government programs are, by definition, unable to tackle the spiritual poverty that often besets the poor and dispossessed. Those lacking faith and
hope, says sociologist Orlando Patterson, suffer a social death that is
fundamentally spiritual.
As mentioned in the Report, faith-anchored programs are particularly
good at insulating kids from various temptations. A powerful anti-violence and restoration effort is underway in Boston. Rev. Eugene Rivers of
the Azusa Christian Community and other black clergy in inner-city
Boston have launched a 39-church network to serve troubled and drugaddicted youth, perform neighborhood patrols, and counsel youngsters
on probation. The answer, they see, isnt just in protecting ourselves from
dangerous predators, but in rescuing those who are at risk. To do so,
churches must go through Samaria, through the mean streets that
proper religious folks often sidestep.
The key to all these efforts is the willingness to move our faith into the
streets. Neither big steeple churches
nor storefront congregations can afford
to wait on young people to come in their
doors. We must go to them. . . . In the
face of escalating urban violence, we
begin with the work of prayer and the
fervent conviction that our children are
worth fighting for.
JIM WALLIS, SOJOURNERS MAGAZINE
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Reaching Gangs and At-Risk Youth
This is our time. It is a time for the

church.
CO-CHAIR
JEAN SINDAB,
CHICAGO ANTI-GANG NETWORK
The centerpiece of Rev. Riverss vision is a 10-point proposal (also the work
of criminologist John DiIulio) that is designed to mobilize area churches in a
way to bring the peace of God to the violent world of our youth.
Below is the gang intervention plan, as described in Sojourners magazine, of the Ten Point Coalition:
1. To establish four or five church cluster-collaborations that sponsor
Adopt a Gang programs to organize and evangelize troubled youth.
Inner-city churches would act as drop-in centers providing sanctuary for
at-risk youth.
2. To commission missionaries to serve as advocates for troubled juveniles in
the courts. Such missionaries would work closely with probation officers, law
enforcement officials, law enforcement officials, and youth street workers to
assist at-risk youth and their feelings. To convene summit meetings between
school superintendents, principals of public middle and high schools, and
clergy to develop partnerships that will focus on the youth most at risk.
Churches would do pastoral work with the most violent and troubled youth
and their families. This is seen as a rational alternative to ill-conceived proposals to suspend the principle of due process.
3. To commission youth evangelists to do street-level one-on-one evangelism with youth involved in drug trafficking. These evangelists would
also work to prepare these youth for participation in the economic life of
the nation. Such work might include preparing for college, developing
legal revenue-generating enterprises, and acquiring trade skills and
union membership.
4. To establish accountable community-based economic development projects that go beyond market and state visions of revenue generation. Such
economic development initiatives will include community land trusts,
micro-enterprise projects, worker cooperatives, community finance institutions, consumer cooperatives, and democratically run CDCs.
5. To establish links between suburban and downtown churches and frontline ministries to provide spiritual, human resource, and material support.
6. To initiate and support neighborhood crime-watch programs within
local church neighborhoods. If, for example, 200 churches covered the
four corners surrounding their sites, 800 blocks would be safer.
7. To establish working relationships between local churches and community-based health centers to provide pastoral counseling for families
during times of crisis. The proposal also initiates abstinence-oriented
educational programs focusing on the prevention of AIDS and sexually
transmitted diseases.
8. To convene a working summit for Christian men in order to discuss the
development of Christian brotherhoods that would provide rational alternatives to violent gang life. Such brotherhoods would also be charged with fostering responsibility to family and protecting houses of worship.
9. To establish rape crisis drop-in centers and services for battered women
in churches. Counseling programs must be established for abusive men,
particularly teenagers and young adults.
10. To develop an aggressive minority history curriculum, with an additional focus on the struggles of women and poor people. Such a curricu-
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lum could be taught in churches as a means of helping our youth to

understand that the God of history has been and remains active in the
lives of all peoples.
The 10-point plan urges church communities across America to combat
the material and spiritual sources of despair. Other anti-violence support
networks have already sprung up in cities like Chicago and Kansas City.
The ultimate goal is more ambitious: to organize 1,000 inner-city churches, 50 in each of the nations 20 largest cities.
Many Texas congregations do much to combat youth violence. The 10point plan mentioned above may offer new ideas. Some faith-based
groups, however, find that state regulations hamstring their efforts to
reach these troubled kids. For example, the Task Force heard testimony
that faith-based groups cannot offer emergency sanctuary for at-risk
youth unless they submit to state licensing and regulations.
RECOMMENDATION: The Task Force urges relevant state agencies those
dealing with children, criminal justice, licensing, etc. jointly to identify and
modify restrictions that would preclude recognized faith-based programs from
effectively intervening to prevent gang activity and youth violence or to offer
emergency aid to at-risk kids. Such faith-based programs should be allowed
to provide temporary, emergency sanctuary to persons who come to
them in crisis, and Texas law should aid, not hinder, such life-saving
intervention.
Earlier this year, 252 clergy in

Austin representing 210 churches
in over 30 denominations formulated and signed a Community
Marriage Statement that requires
would-be couples to meet rigorous
standards of pre-marital preparation
and marriage enrichment.
Nationwide, church communities in
about 50 cities have shaken off their
blessing machine role and adopted such covenants aimed at forming
more perfect unions.
No cultural institution is more vital
to promoting committed marriage
than the church.
Battling Poverty
and Building Strong Communities
The Numbers: About 750,000 Texans mostly those in single-parent
households headed by women receive basic welfare grants. Some 2.6
million get food stamps. Of Texas 4.8 million children, about one in eight
rely on welfare for food, clothing. and shelter.
The Need to Help Smartly: The faith community merits a rightful
place on the front lines of our anti-poverty efforts. But we should help
smartly, as Peter noted in Acts 3. The Bible a timeless poverty-fighting manual nowhere instructs us to redistribute wealth indiscriminately to every poor person who asks, no matter how idle he may be.
When a lame beggar asked for a handout, Peter didnt do the kindhearted (but weak-minded) thing and give him money. Nor, as Dr. Olasky
points out, did he proffer a job, the secular conservative solution (work
alone cannot redeem, either). Instead, he addressed the deeper problem
and told the man to arise and walk in Jesuss name. The man did, and
was transformed. The Good Samaritan of Luke 10 suffered with the
mugging victim, bandaging his wounds; he didnt picket the capital
demanding government action.
Welfare-Avoidance Efforts: To its credit, Texas has embraced a pilot
welfare avoidance project designed to steer people away from public assistance altogether. By providing emergency grant money as a first option,
followed by various other services, Texas hopes to divert people from
welfare entirely. This approach is working in Wisconsin. Under their
diversion instead of intake approach, the number of inquirees signing
onto welfare has fallen from 80 to 19 percent.
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Battling Poverty
Marylands new Welfare Innovation Act

In May, Maryland one of 43 states that have overhauled their public
assistance programs since 1992, when Congress signaled its approval
for state-level reforms overwhelmingly passed the Welfare Innovation
Act of 1996.
Under this welfare-avoidance legislation which replaces AFDC with
the Family Investment Program Maryland gives every county the flexibility to create their own tailor-made welfare program. The new legislation converts local social service departments into job placement centers and authorizes cash benefits after all else has failed. The goal is
this: to emphasize job training and placement and, after assessing each
familys specific needs and resources, provide temporary cash assistance only as a last resort. The law requires recipients to work and has
converted welfare into services to help families gain independence. The
bill, in short, enables families to escape poverty by becoming connected to the working world.
Poor families can seek emergency relief welfare avoidance grants
to avoid welfare entirely. (Such grants resemble a pilot welfare
reform project in place in Fort Bend County, Texas.) Families needing
more must promise to start work or to prepare for a job, cooperate to
secure child support, and agree to tap family and community resources.
Thus, poor individuals would first be steered to non-government help
that will help them avoid government assistance entirely. Next comes
government-supplied employment services and voucherized child-care
benefits. Temporary cash assistance would be, in the statutes words,
a last resort.
The bill also features an integral role for nonprofit groups, including
religious charities. Churches should be invited to expand their social
outreach and cooperate with social programs. Where a family fails to
uphold its side of the welfare agreement, cash benefits should be paid
to a nonprofit group that will provide intensive services to help free the
family from welfare. The state also invites nongovernmental groups to
help design innovative demonstration projects that involve (i) case management programs, (ii) cooperative living initiatives that include child
care, job assistance, and intensive mentoring in lieu of cash assistance,
and (iii) school-based programs.
The federal welfare reform bill, by removing the federal entitlement,
frees state to set their own eligibility standards. Marylands new bill is
worth examining.
Family Pathfinders: In June, Texas launched its Family Pathfinders

program, a public-private partnership designed to link welfare families
with religious, civic, and business groups in hopes of moving the families
toward self-sufficiency. How? By doing whatever takes providing
child care, clothing or transportation for job interviews, moral encouragement, budgeting tips, etc. As of mid-September 1996, 70 families had
been linked statewide.
The program modeled after Mississippis Faith and Families program is intended to nurse low-income families back to economic
health. We applaud it, and encourage more and more organizations to
participate in this one-on-one effort.
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You can plug into the Family Pathfinders program by calling 1-800-355PATH.
Ideally, its best if families receive welfare-avoidance services before

they start getting public assistance. We should ultimately be about steering people away from welfare, not just removing them from it. Texas policymakers, for example, could explore requiring welfare applicants at
any of Texas 28 local workforce development boards across the State
the centralized one-stop shops where people go for everything from
food stamps to Medicaid to job training to welfare be diverted to an array
of community- and church-level providers as a pre-condition to receiving
public assistance.
Marylands new legislation provides a model worth considering. It
requires would-be recipients to explore family and community resources
before getting government help. Direct public assistance aid should be the
last, not the first, resort.
LIFT: A Non-Governmental,
Church-Based Response Worth Examining
Some clients havent budgeted for

three years have gotten motivated
now and theyre getting training. . . .
[The church] is so warm and friendly
[and has made people] feel like they
belonged. . . . [They] love the KEYS
class. They tell me, I needed to
hear this stuff. . . . . I believe we
have to have the spiritual part
included (in outreach programs). . . .
[Government-sponsored programs
are] so boring that many people drop
out.
SHARON TAYLOR,
DALLAS HEADSTART CASEWORKER
The Christian Research Institute for Social and Economic Strategies

(CRISES) has recently launched an antipoverty and discipleship initiative called LIFT (Labor with Integrity, Faith & Thrift). The LIFT Project
envisions a network of churches that utilize trained church volunteers to
free the poor from government assistance in ways that do not encourage
dependency, and that strengthen the family structure instead of weakening it. LIFT, which Dr. Marvin Olasky serves as senior adviser, is a distinctively non-governmental response that supports how churches
served the poor before the government was involved, namely with an
approach that was challenging, personal, and spiritual.
You can learn more about LIFT by calling 1-512-926-0519.
Another Holistic Model Worth Noting:

Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship (Dallas):
Texas benefits from many churches engaged in battle against poverty.
Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship (OCBF) is a 3,000-member church in Dallas
that offers a range of services designed to help low-income residents. The
churchs effectiveness is impossible to deny, even among skeptics.
No member of this church is to be on

welfare.
SENIOR PASTOR TONY EVANS
OCBF provides:
GED and job-skills programs to help prepare people for
independence.
Free child care which makes it easier for people to attend
classes.
an alternative adult education program offering instruction in computers, literacy, business math, and communications.
a KEYS to Personal and Professional Success Class a 10week course required of all students enrolled in the churchs
alternative adult education program. KEYS is a Bible study
focusing on the importance of work, authority, integrity, responsible stewardship of time and money, and communication.
According to writer Amy Sherman, KEYS is at the heart of
OCBFs efforts to renew the minds of students with Bible centered alternative thinking.
Getting an individual to think the way

God thinks is the key to having an
impact. The world has one way of
thinking and the church has an alternative way.
LAFAYETTE HOLLAND,
OUTREACH PASTOR AT OCBF
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Battling Poverty
Were teaching moral values. Weve

got to change the moral thinking of
this community.
ROBERTA JONES, PROGRAM DIRECTOR
The neighborhood Village Oaks apartment complex has seen a transformation, too. Gone are the crack houses and staccato gunfire. The difference, to be sure, has resulted from many factors, including more police
and tough apartment management. But OCBF enjoys credit, too. In 1991,
Sherman writes, three church members moved into Village Oaks and
began offering Bible studies and counseling. They also opened a thrift
store and ministry office. Church members began visiting the complex,
and OCBF started after-school tutoring programs, weekend recreational
events for kids, and special summer programs.
The church has been very, very helpful. Theres a visible difference. .
. . Now, you can walk around alone, says Village Oaks manager Pat
Holmes. OCBF has teamed with TRC Staff Services to provide local companies with temporary employees earning $7-10 per hour; 80 percent of
the temps become permanent within a few months, gaining raises and
full benefits. TRC interviews applicants at OCBFs outreach centers.
Church volunteer and financial planner James Talley is designing a
multi-part, Bible-based course for welfare recipients to help renew minds
and foster self-sufficiency. The course will emphasize personal budgeting, job training, basic life skills, and consumer savvy.
CAM An effective relief effort in San Antonio

Christian Assistance Ministries (CAM) of San Antonio a cooperative
ministry formed in 1977 and supported by 52 churches across 11
denominations assisted about 35,000 people in 1995. Its 250-plus
volunteers provide immediate assistance (food, clothing, financial aid,
budget and nutrition training, job information, referrals, etc.) to clients in
an effort to prevent homelessness and move people toward independence.
Development Director Natalie Musgrave Ingram explains the ministry
this way: The majority of our clients do not want a hand out. They need
help getting through a crisis in their lives. They are on the edge. They
need someone to believe in them, to show them a path and sometimes
to pray with them. We can do all that because we have the personal contact with people that is lacking in so many big programs. By talking with
them and helping them to develop a plan, we keep them off the streets,
we keep their children in school and we move them closer to independence. I have yet to see a greater motivator than God! He is truly working through CAM.
Congregations like OCBF are staking their claim as the neighborhoods

academic, economic, cultural, social, and spiritual cornerstone.
Comprehensive, holistic ministries like OCBF offer no-nonsense,
empowerment programming that helps keep families off welfare and
restores communities. Such efforts merit our applause, our help, and the
sincerest form of flattery, imitation.

Below is a fuller description of the One Church-One Offender program,
as described in materials provided by the programs headquarters.
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Overview: One Church-One Offender, an Indiana nonprofit born in

1991, provides an alternative to incarceration for nonviolent offenders
through voluntary placement with committees of local church members.
In short, trained committees of community volunteers work with a nonviolent offender to help him become a productive citizen. This ecumenical program rests on (i) the willingness of local churches to become
involved, (ii) the courts determination to avoid prison overcrowding and
incarceration that does little to change behavior, and (iii) the offenders
desire to change and work for a better life.
History of the Program: Rev. Clyde Adams grew weary of watching
the nonviolent become violent, hardened criminals after serving time in
prison. He grew tired, too, of seeing destructive habits take root in kids
he had watched grow up.
In 1984, Rev. Adams acted. He quickly found pastors, lay people, and
law enforcement officials who shared his frustration. A core group of
concerned citizens met regularly to develop an innovative response.
Their study and in-depth discussions resulted in One Church-One
Offender, a nonprofit funded through support from businesses, churches,
foundations, individuals, and religious organizations.
Goals of the Program: The goals are three-fold:
to offer nonviolent offenders a better alternative than overcrowded, expensive jails namely, a re-adjustive program of
community-based advocacy, education, and spiritual nurture
Our clients are nonviolent, non-hardened

offenders, who, with our treatment,
supervision and support, have the best
chance of changing their lives. This
program effectively and efficiently
addresses the multitude of issues that
brings and returns individuals to the
judicial system. This program brings
the attention of a group to the readjustment of one person. If the person can
take advantage of the rope that One
Church-One Offender throws, the whole
community can benefit. This program
not only touches the lives of offenders,
it involves and educates community
leaders, church committees, as well as
criminal justice representatives. Our
program is bringing isolated constituencies together to positively change attitudes and individual lives.
ONE CHURCH ONE OFFENDER
to encourage positive behavior and to provide an environment

conducive to the growth of confidence, independence, selfreliance, and hopefulness
to reduce crime and recidivism and to intervene in offenders
lives to encourage healthy ways of life that are useful to the community
Approach of the Program: Trained volunteers use their own knowledge base and an array of community resources to (i) work one-on-one
with clients, (ii) support his educational, medical, emotional, and physical needs, and (iii) satisfy all court mandates.
Clients who volunteer for the program as an alternative to
traditional incarceration are matched with a local church
committee trained by the staff of One Church-One Offender, Inc.
The client and the sponsoring church committee agree to a
covenant of expectations.
The covenant includes expectations for the clients participation, behavior and accomplishments. It also spells out the committees responsibility to the client in dealing with daily needs,
job training and employment, counseling, etc.
The committee and client grow into a steady, dependable,
and extended community family that shares fellowship, concerns, and prayers.
The staff of One Church-One Offender monitors the matches
between clients and church committees on a regular basis,
recommends needed changes in the covenant of expectations,
and terminates matches that arent working out. Clients not work
ing in good faith to fulfill the covenant are referred to the traditional
criminal justice system.
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For more information:

One Church-One Offender
227 E. Washington Blvd.,
Suite 205
Fort Wayne, IN 46802-3137
(219) 422-8688
Results of the Program: The program is only five years old, but early
results are promising:
50 churches have been trained since the programs inception,
resulting in 475 volunteers
of 775 individuals requesting participation, 112 have been
accepted because of their willingness to abide by program
requirements
the program has a recidivism rate of 15 percent compared with
a recidivism of 50 percent for the local county jail, and the 65 per
cent rate nationally for probation departments
costs of incarceration in Allen County are $14,600 and $20,805
for men and women, respectively, while the annual program cost
per client is $3,138
Adopt a Caseworker
and Adopt a Nursing Home
Many churches and community volunteers link with DPRS to adopt
and provide support for caseworkers responsible for abused and neglected children.
Through the Community Partners program at DPRS, churches and
other groups meet the needs of children by providing cribs, formula, eyeglasses, school supplies and clothes, birthday presents, uniforms for
sports and band, etc. Nancy Tasin, Travis County coordinator for the program, says as the tax dollars shrink . . . its going to become up to us as
government entities to reach out to whatever community resources are
available.
Caseworkers could be matched with churches or other community
groups, who would provide support for the caseworker. How? By helping
to meet the needs of abused and neglected children with formula, eyeglasses, school supplies, birthday presents, uniforms for sports and band, etc.
For more information on the Community Partners program, contact the
Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services at (512) 438-4800.
The Texas Department of Human Services runs the Adopt-A-Nursing

program (motto: Caring is Ageless), which matches groups of volunteers with nursing homes to help combat loneliness and enrich the quality of life for residents.
TDHS estimates that about 50 percent of Texas nursing home residents
dont have families, and about 60 percent have no regular visitors.
Through the program, groups of at least three members from any sort
of group (religious, civic, business, school, friends, scouts, etc.) commit
to help with resident activities at least four times a year. The program
staff also offer high-quality workshops on issues pertinent to caring for
older Texans, such as the unique needs of Alzheimers residents, how to
conduct an oral history, etc.
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For more information on the Adopt a Nursing Home program, contact

the Texas Department of Human Services at (800) 889-8595.
MORE CONGRESSIONAL EFFORTS

TO REVIVE CIVIL SOCIETY
Aside from the charitable choice act, there are two other major packages of legislation aiming to enlist faith-based agencies in the battle
against our social ills. Both bills challenge some basic assumptions about
government and spring from the neighbor-centered belief that needs are
best understood and met by people closest to them.
The Project for American Renewal: This is the granddaddy of
Congress reform efforts. This set of 15 bills aims to sharpen and
refine Americas thoughts on devolution and governments proper role in re-energizing the character-building institutions of civil
society. Senator Dan Coats and Rep. John Kasich have introduced
a package of bills covering three broad categories Effective
Compassion, Community Empowerment, and Fathering,
Mentoring and Family that together help move authority and
resources to families, religious and community groups.
The government takes my (tax)

money, gives it to Health and Human
Services, which gives it to the
Salvation Army, which contracts with
service providers, all of whom have
to follow rules and regulations that
make it impossible to do what they
do best. Why not let me give my
money directly to the faith-based
groups that have proven their worth?
ROBERT L. WOODSON SR.
Saving Our Children: The American Community Renewal Act of

1996: This ambitious package, sponsored by Representatives J.C.
Watts and James Talent, aims to spur moral renewal and economic activity in Americas most poverty-stricken areas. Through regulatory relief, creative school reform projects, and serious tax and
home ownership incentives, the legislation would help families in
urban and rural areas ensnared in a web of crime, illegitimacy, and
poverty. The bottom-line? Enhancing support for healthy social
institutions.
The Project for American Renewal*

It is the guiding principle of the Project for American Renewal
that government act in ways that strengthen the web of institutions that create community. . . . If this is social engineering, it makes every taxpayer into an engineer.
U.S. SEN. DAN COATS
On June 25, 1996, Senator Dan Coats and Rep. John Kasich introduced
a bold new definition of public compassion that has helped drive an
important shift in our political debate about social policy. Their 16-point
package is rooted in the truth that legislation even great legislation
can only do so much to meet our social and moral challenges.
The Project isnt a government program to rebuild civil society. It is an
effort to support people and groups that are rebuilding their own communities.
* The Task Force extends its warm thanks to the office of Indiana Sen. Dan Coats for sharing its materials, from which this section of the Report is, with permission, largely drawn.
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I. Effective Compassion
When asked this question If you
wanted to devote some of your
money toward helping the poor,
would you give it to local, privatelyrun charities, or would you give it to
the local welfare department? the
answer is always the same.
U.S. SEN. DAN COATS
The Charity Tax Credit Act This is the centerpiece of the Project.
This bill would give about 5-8 percent of federal welfare spending to private poverty-fighting charities through a tax credit to donors. (Taxpayers
can now deduct charitable gifts against their total income, but a credit is
a direct reduction in taxes owed.)
The Compassion Credit This measure gives a small $500 tax credit to
people opening their homes to care for our neediest citizens, including
battered women, abused women with children, women in crisis pregnancies, the homeless, and hospice care patients (including AIDS and
cancer patients).
The Medical Volunteer Act The prohibitive cost of liability insurance
dissuades many health care providers from volunteering their services to
the poor. This bill would extend federal malpractice insurance coverage
to medical volunteers providing free help to the poor.
Congress passed a version of this bill as part of its health care reform efforts.
The Community Partnership Act Like Mississippis Faith and
Families Program, the model for Texas Family Pathfinders, this bill
encourages states and communities to match welfare families and nonviolent offenders with churches, synagogues and mosques committed to
helping them achieve independence.
II. Community Empowerment

The Educational Choice and Equity Act Despite ever-increasing
spending, poor children are often trapped in violent and low performing
schools . . . denied the quality educational choices that more affluent families now enjoy. Low-income parents deserve child-centered alternatives.
Several privately-funded choice programs exist throughout Texas, and
the waiting lists demonstrate the urgent need for options. This bill would
fund demonstration projects in low-income school choice, in effect
expanding the Pell Grant and G.I. Bill programs that have opened doors
for millions of college students. As others have noted, the folks living at
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue shouldnt be the only people who live in public housing who are able to send their children to private school.
The Restitution and Responsibility Act Criminals violate not just
the law, but also victims and communities. Restitution enforces accountability and holds them responsible for their damage. This measure
encourages states to establish effective programs to order, collect and
enforce restitution payments to crime victims. Texas currently has no
statewide program to go after deadbeat defendants, instead leaving the
follow-through to counties. We should join the eight or so states that
have launched debt collection efforts. The money brought in other
states have collected millions could fund several initiatives to benefit
Texas.
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The Assets for Independence Act Government often seems to penalize the aspects of good character that lead people toward self-sufficiency
and promote stable communities: savings, home ownership, entrepreneurship, etc. Instead, we should focus on saving and building assets.
This proposal would reward individual savings by poor Americans.
Community programs matching those savings with private contributions

and local funds would be matched, in turn, by the federal government.
Building assets promotes family stability, gives people a stake in their
communities, and inspires responsibility, hope and independence. Policy
should urge people to plan for the future, not live for the moment.
The Urban Homestead Act Poor Americans need more than temporary shelter; they need to have a stake in their communities, to be responsible owners, not just dependent renters. This bill would turn over
vacant and substandard housing stock owned by the federal government
to local community development corporations on a two-year deadline.
Housing that government hasnt managed would be turned over to communities to be renovated by private and religious groups, creating new
neighborhoods of homeowners, and renewing communities.
The Maternity Shelter Act Many women need support and shelter
during crisis pregnancies, not just cash benefits. This bill would encourage the creation of private and faith-based maternity group homes to provide refuge, parenting education and advice on adoption to pregnant
women in need. These homes offer a supportive environment in which
young women can receive counseling, housing, education, medical services, nutrition, and job and parenting training. Whether she chooses to
parent her baby or place it for adoption, she will receive important care,
training, and life management skills. It sets the stage for the baby to
receive better care, too. Mothers in difficult straits need the help of compassionate Texans.
III. Fathering, Mentoring and Family

The Family Housing Act Public housing suffers an absence of stable
families and male role models. Many kids grow up not only lacking a
dad, but never knowing anyone who has one. This measure would set
aside 15 percent of public housing units for intact families. Government
should help ensure that children especially teenage boys have the
restraining influence and example of responsible men, and responsible
marriages, in their community.
The Responsible Parenthood Act The $3.3 billion the federal government has spent on family planning since the early 1970s has failed
to purchase responsible parenthood. Funding has soared, but so have
out-of-wedlock births (by 400 percent). Abstinence-centered programs
have been found to be effectively reduce teen pregnancies (e.g., the year
before San Marcos Jr. High School (Calif.) adopted its abstinence-only
curriculum, 147 girls became pregnant; two years later, only 20 girls
became pregnant). Government should be unequivocal that delaying
sexual activity is a vital part of responsible living and parenting. This
proposal would require that every dollar spent by the federal government on family planning be matched by a dollar spent on abstinence education and adoption services.
The Character Development Act Realizing the importance of role
models to an individuals success, this bill links public schools with mentoring groups to give kids one-on-one support.
The Family Reconciliation Act Children suffer profound emotional
and economic consequences from divorce. Sadly, divorce is sometimes
unavoidable. This measure would encourage states to provide incentives
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for family preservation, via a braking mechanism for divorces involving

young children, waiting periods, counseling, etc. Government has a
huge interest in honoring marriage as serious and binding, not notarized dating, particularly when vulnerable children are involved.
The Mentor Schools Act and the Role Models Academy Act Again,
boys need strong, male role models. Moral and emotional growth thats
been stunted by the absence of good role models portends often violent
consequences for them and society. The Mentor Schools Act clarifies that
single-sex academies, or mentor schools, are a legal educational alternative for public schools. The Role Models Academy Act creates a model
residential academy along similar lines. Government cannot provide a
father for every child, but it should help encourage mentors and role
models exemplify responsible make behavior.
The Kinship Care Act The best option for abused or neglected children needing care sometimes isnt foster care, but finding a relative willing to provide a home. This bill urges states to seek adult relatives of children in need of foster care as the first placement.
The moral vision animating the Project for American Renewal that a
robust civil society can strengthen society in a way government cannot
must be lodged deeply in the minds of Texas policymakers. It provides
a solid intellectual framework for leading our great State.
Conclusion: The Texas congressional delegation should support, either
in this Congress or the next, the Project for American Renewal as
described above. Moreover, Texas state policymakers should examine
and consider replicating, wherever possible, these initiatives on the state
level. The social and political philosophy underlying the Project that
government should help regenerate, not undermine, civil society provides a valuable guide for state policymakers, who should evaluate all
laws, rules, regulations, etc. by this bold principle of subsidiarity.
Saving Our Children:

The American Community Renewal Act of 1996*
The Community Renewal Act is a broad federal package aimed at helping those who live in Americas poorest communities . . . areas of pervasive crime, poverty, unemployment, welfare dependency, and low-performing schools. Through tax incentives and serious regulatory relief
together with education reforms and incentives to boost home ownership
the Act aims to:
improve job creation;
increase the formation and expansion of small business;
promote moral renewal;
broaden educational opportunities;
improve private efforts to aid the poor; and
facilitate greater participation by religious groups in serving the poor
Why Do We Need The Bill? Helping Americas poverty-stricken communities demands a new approach. A 1989 study noted that 81 percent
of families in poverty face several barriers to becoming self-sufficient . . .
some economic and some moral/social. The broken lives and economies
A-25
* The Task Force extends a special thanks to the offices of Representatives Jim Talent and
J.C. Watts for providing information about this important Act.
of these areas need lasting and genuine reform. Impoverished communities need comprehensive reform, not the piecemeal approach that scurries from one issue to the next. Indeed, studies show that a broad
approach to community development works best. Moreover, policymakers are seeing that local community-based programs which empower
citizens to become active, hands-on decisionmakers in their families
lives do a better job of attacking problems.
What Does the Bill Do? There are five primary elements. The first two initiatives apply only to the 100 renewal communities, economically depressed
areas created by the bill. The other three reforms apply nationwide.
1. Creation of 100 Renewal Communities
Through regulatory reform, tax relief, and savings incentives, this
reform would help restore economic vitality to our nations poorest communities and reduce urban unemployment by:
Giving federal, state, and local regulatory relief such as (i) a 100
percent capital gains exclusion on qualified assets help within a
renewal community for five years or more, (ii) a tax credit for
revitalization efforts in distressed areas, (iii) streamlined govern
ment requirement and regulations, (iv) anti-crime strategies, (v)
encouraging the donation or sale of land and other property to
local organizations, (vi) repealing or suspending non-health and
-safety regulations, etc.
Studies have shown that initiatives

to revitalize communities work best
when the residents are involved,
investing their own resources and
aware of their own needs in such a
way that they are able to bring about
change and foster community pride
and ownership.
THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION
Creating mechanisms to encourage residents to save money for

higher education or buying a home.
Improving local government services by urging privatization
and other measures to boost efficient delivery.
Encouraging banks and other financial institutions to stay and
invest in renewal areas.
2. Education Opportunity Scholarships for Poor Children
Low-income parents would receive scholarships empowering them to
choose the school that best meets their childs unique needs. Like affluent parents, they would be free to select from a broader range of primary
and secondary schools, such as alternative public schools, charter
schools, private schools, and parochial schools. As a result, parents
would be re-enfranchised, and the quality of education would be
improved. The locality would allocate scholarships and transportation
aid to eligible parents on a first-come, first-served basis.
Children attending religious schools

are two-thirds less likely to drop out
than are nearly identical children
attending non-religious school.
Religious schools are included not because its the role of government
to advance religion, but because its governments role to fund the education of children, whatever the geography of the schoolhouse may be.
And its because, as former Education Secretary William Bennett puts it,
Education is the architecture of the soul.
Creating a solid moral foundation is or at least should be a vital
part of every childs education. That moral upbringing is vital to solving
our social ills is a simple and uncomplicated truth. Like Texas beneficiaries under the federal G.I. Bill and the Texas Pell Grant program, the children of Texas particularly low-income children trapped in poor
schools deserve a host of educational options.
A-26
The American Community Renewal Act
3. Charitable Contribution Tax Credit

More and more Americans are agreeing that government anti-poverty
efforts to the tune of nearly $400 billion annually ($5.3 trillion over the
past 30 or so years) have largely left poor communities in worse shape
now than they were before.
To boost charitable giving to private-sector institutions that directly
help the poor, donors would receive a tax credit refunding 75 percent of
their contributions. The credit applicable to a maximum contribution
of $200 for single filers and $400 for joint filers would flow to all tax filers, whether they itemize their deductions or not.
This provisions guiding tenet is that individual taxpayers, who are closer to their communities needs, are better equipped to direct funds to programs that work. Giving taxpayers more say-so carries the additional
virtue of encouraging community involvement and fostering a stronger
sense of civic duty.
4. Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse
This provision would amend the Public Health Service Act to:
allow faith-based treatment facilities to receive federal funding;
prohibit discrimination against such facilities;
facilitate the selection of faith-based treatment by persons
receiving taxpayer funds; and
protect the rights of individuals by ensuring that nobody can be
required to accept faith-based treatment and guaranteeing alternative treatment from secular providers.
allow religious treatment facilities to receive federal drug
rehabilitation funds without having to compromise the religious
integrity of their program.
The Act would lift also unnecessary credentialing requirements that
now bar such programs from receiving federal funds.
5. Work Opportunity Tax Credit
Given the high level of teenage unemployment nearly 20 percent
this provision offers employers tax incentives to hire welfare recipients,
high-risk youth, low-income veterans, ex-felons, or others whose backgrounds make it tough for them to get a job and get a fresh start.
Conclusion: Congress should seize this chance to chart a new course
for American social policy. Those closest to the challenge are best
equipped to meet it. By respecting the self-help choices of poor
Americans and leveraging the experience and initiative of local community organizations, the Community Renewal Act embodies a fresh strategy to combat the social ills that plague our inner cities.
We urge the Texas congressional delegation to support, either in this
Congress or the next, the American Community Renewal Act as
described above. Moreover, Texas state policymakers should also examine the Act and consider replicating, wherever possible, elements of this
federal legislation on the state level.
A-27

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FAITH IN ACTION . . .

A NEW VISION FOR CHURCH-STATE

MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNORS

Rev. Msgr. Dermot N. Brosnan

D.R. Duke Millard III*

Margaret K. Brown Dudar

Dr. G. Dean Posey

Rev. Freddie Garcia

Mary Como Randall

Brother Cecil Hawkins

Elizabeth Darling Seale

Chaplain Gilbert Herrera

Rev. Coby Shorter III

Lt. Colonel Jack Waters

Dr. Thomas W. Currie III, Chairman

* Task Force member Delton Brazell supports the recommendations contained in

GOVERNORS ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON

Thomas W. Currie III

First Principles: Governments Role in Texas Religiously Diverse Society

Seven Areas of Opportunity:

The New Charitable Choice Act

Enlisting religious groups in Texas anti-poverty battle

State Licensure and Contracting Generally

Recognizing private accreditation in lieu of state licensure and oversight

Texas Children: Valuing Our Greatest Asset

Using alternative accreditation to encourage faith-based child-care providers

Combating Crime and Substance Abuse

Enlisting the faith factor to promote a safer Texas

Increasing access by protecting medical volunteers

Self-Help Initiatives and Community Development Corporations

Strengthening and empowering neighborhood self-help groups

Innovative programming that makes a difference

Government can hand out money, but it cannot

INTRODUCTION: A VITAL ROLE

The Failure of Traditional

By one estimate, some 67 percent of

Congress New Model of Welfare Delivery:

There is a growing consensus that a

The Act contains a visionary charitable choice provision that invites

By any objective measure, one-on-one private and religious charities

Co-Responsibility: The Shared Duties

What we are seeking is a new way.

In our view, Texas social institutions have shared responsibilities.

Societys pluralistic nature, therefore, must guide our efforts to think

A New Vision: Governments Key Role

At a minimum the state should adopt

We must move beyond devolution merely parsing duties between

The distribution of power within government is less important than the

A generation of inertia means that societys crucial institutions wont

Principles of Fruitful Church-State Cooperation

[C]ompassion cant be measured in

Religiously-inspired social action embraces strategies that often elude

The Governors Advisory Task Force:

A NEW VISION FOR CHURCH-STATE

FIRST PRINCIPLES: GOVERNMENTS ROLE

bound together in various social relationships and responsibilities.

A responsibility of government is fruitful cooperation with mediating institutions that are

For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to

For more detailed discussion on this

Report Appendix pp. 22-27

Enlisting religious groups

The centerpiece of the American welfare system AFDC, the federal