Governor Releases 10-Year Housing Plan for Pennsylvania; Lawmakers Highlight Bipartisan Approaches
The ELCA social message on homelessness is clear: "Housing is a fundamental human right." Yet for hundreds of thousands of Americans, that right remains out of reach, and Pennsylvania is no exception. On Feb. 12, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Pennsylvania’s first-ever comprehensive Housing Action Plan to address critical housing
PA Human Relations Commission Issues Fair Housing Report
“God heard the cry of a homeless people and delivered them out of oppression in Egypt. Jesus, “who [had] nowhere to lay his head” (Luke 9:58), ministered with compassion to the poor and vulnerable. In practicing hospitality, we are promised to encounter the living Lord: “I was a stranger and
Governor’s Budget Includes Increases for Schools, Replacing Federal Funding
On Feb. 3, Gov. Josh Shapiro unveiled a $53.3 billion state budget proposal that would use emergency funds to boost basic and special education spending in identified underfunded public schools and to help Pennsylvanians affected by recent changes in federal Medicaid and nutrition programs. Check here to track and see
LAMPa Supports Young Voices in Advocacy at Winterfest
More than 200 youth and leaders at Lower Susquehanna Synod's annual winter retreat heard from recent LAMPa racial justice fellow Anna Oslikova about the transformative power of advocacy and then took first steps themselves -- writing postcards to policymakers after packing more than 30,000 meals for hungry neighbors. Oslikova, who
State Budget Passes with Increases for Hunger Funding; Abandons RGGI Participation
On Wednesday, November 12, PA lawmakers passed a $50.1 billion budget after a four-month impasse. The final budget includes increased spending on education, hunger programs, and an earned income tax credit, along with funding for crucial social service programs that have suffered under the combined harm of the budget stalemate
Bishop Curry Issues Pastoral Message for These Troubled Days
November 12, 2025 When I was installed as your presiding bishop, the preacher proclaimed that in times of division, disruption and fear, God calls us, through love, to lift up one another just as Christ lifts us up. I have taken that to heart and been alert to all the
LAMPa Supports Office of New Pennsylvanians
On October 28, LAMPa Director Tracey DePasquale, the Rev. Andrew Berdahl, and Hunger Advocacy Fellow Daniella Garber joined advocates and lawmakers at the Pennsylvania Capitol for a press conference and to witness the House committee’s passage of legislation establishing an Office of New Pennsylvanians. House Bill 1113, introduced by Rep.
Lutheran Disaster Response Leaders Gather and Advocate in D.C.
On October 20-23, leaders in the Lutheran Disaster Response Community of Practice gathered in Washington, D.C. to learn and advocate for key policies related to how we can show up for communities experiencing disaster. The collaboration between the ELCA's Lutheran Disaster Response staff and ELCA Witness in Society advocacy staff
Rachel Faulkner Joins LAMPa Policy Council
LAMPa is excited to welcome Rachel Faulkner as an at-large member of the Policy Council. Faulkner is a native of Pennsylvania, in her last year of college and preparing for law school. She is a member of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Irwin, PA. Her lived experience finds Faulkner at
LAMPa Welcomes Anna Oslikova to Policy Council
LAMPa is delighted to announce that Anna Oslikova will be serving on its Policy Council. She will be serving in an "at-large" role. Oslikova is a 2025 graduate of Waynesboro Area Senior High School, and a member at Waynesboro Evangelical Lutheran Church. She is currently taking a gap year to
