Episcopal Press and News
Los Angeles Rebuilding with Help from Presiding Bishop's Fund
Episcopal News Service. August 19, 1992 [92173]
As people in South Central Los Angeles attempt to rebuild their lives after last spring's riots, they are receiving help from the Episcopal Church. After Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning visited the stricken area on May 6, he promised that the national church would aid the Diocese of Los Angeles in its efforts.
An initial $25,000 emergency grant from the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief to the discretionary fund of Bishop Fred Borsch has grown to over $150,000 through additional contributions by parishes in the diocese and throughout the church. "This enabled Bishop Borsch, in the name of all Episcopalians, to begin a ministry of compassion among those so wounded by the violence," said Bishop Furman Stough, deputy for the PB's Fund. In June, the fund sent bulletin inserts to all parishes outlining the needs in Los Angeles.
The Episcopal Church's alternative investments subcommittee of the Committee on Trust Funds has invested $300,000 to help with rebuilding the community. Grants of $100,000 each have gone to two minority-owned banks in Los Angeles -- Broadway Federal Savings and Loan and Founders National Bank. They were chosen because of a strong history of serving the local community. Another $100,000 goes to the National Association of Community Development Loan Funds, designated for low-income housing loans.
The Presiding Bishop's Fund is also providing another $300,000 grant that the diocesan Task Force on Economic Development has decided will be used to establish a Community Development Credit Union. Until the credit union is established, which could take a year, the funds are available for short-term, low-interest loans to individuals, primarily Episcopalians, whose business property was lost or damaged during the riots. These "gap loans" are for people who are eligible for loans from various government agencies but need immediate help.
Gloria Brown, staff officer for the Economic Justice Implementation Committee, is serving as consultant in planning for the credit union and other long-term rebuilding efforts. Brown was a member of Christ the Good Shepherd in South Central Los Angeles before joining the Episcopal Church Center staff in New York.
"These efforts are going to take a long time," Brown said in a recent interview. "We must resist rushing into immediate action, before thinking through our strategy. What we are trying to determine is how the church can be an effective voice in community development in the long term," she said. "We must get used to sharing ideas and programs -- and we are not always used to partnering."