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Dec 15 2021

Όμικρο

By Steve Matthews 

25 years ago I spent two semesters learning Greek in seminary.   I never expected that my refresher course would come by way of a pandemic — first Delta and now Omicron. As Omicron begins to spread from state to state, we wait again in uncertainty.  Will the current vaccines work?  Is it more contagious?  Are its effects more severe?  We wait as we have before. “Omicron at Advent”… there’s a sermon there.

But it’s not exactly like it was before.  We have learned things.  We are creative, resourceful, and resilient.  We can lean into that.  We know we can go “hybrid” in our worship.  We know about wearing masks, and getting the “jab,” and practicing social distancing.  We also know that there are those people who need more support than others.  At FaithX one of the ways we identify people more impacted by Covid is by utilizing a data tool called the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI).  The SVI uses U.S. Census data to determine the social vulnerability of every county and tract. The CDC ranks each county and tract on 15 social factors, including poverty, lack of vehicle access, and crowded housing, and groups them into four related themes:

  • Socioeconomic
  • Housing Composition and Disability
  • Minority Status and Language
  • Housing and Transportation 

The closer a neighborhood is to the number “1” the more vulnerable that population is to environmental pollution and weather extremes, to poor health access, and to other social problems.  Think about it:  If you make little money, if you have a disability, if you are reliant on public transportation, if you do not speak English well, if you live in a densely populated apartment complex, you are more likely to fall through the cracks. 

[Read more…]

Written by Ken Howard · Categorized: COVID-19, FaithX Blog · Tagged: Census Data, Coronavirus, COVID, COVID-19, COVID19, delta, disability, faithx, housing and transportation, housing composition, minority status, omicron, Richmond VA, Social Vulnerability Index, socioeconomic status, SVI

Jun 25 2020

Using MapDash to Identify and Prioritize Vulnerable Neighborhoods and Populations

by The Rev. Ken Howard
Vulnerable Neighborhoods


This post is part of a blog series on
“Keeping Congregations Connected in the Face of COVID-19”
Click here for the previous post


Okay. You’re a pastor of a congregation in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, economic meltdown, and now a societal upheaval in the aftermath of the murder of yet another unarmed black man by police, all the while trying keep your congregation connected virtually, and planning for the reopening of your building and the recovery of your neighborhood.

Not much on your plate, right? WRONG!!! 

Seriously, it’s nearly impossible for you to give equal time and attention to every person in your congregation, let alone attend to the needs of the vulnerable neighborhoods you service.

So how do you prioritize your time and attention? One way is to identify and prioritize the most vulnerable people in your congregation and the most vulnerable neighborhoods around your congregation. And you can do that relatively quickly through data-grounded discernment using MapDash for COVID-19 or MapDash for Faith Communities.

Here’s how we did it with the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

[Read more…]

Written by Ken Howard · Categorized: COVID-19, FaithX Blog · Tagged: Coronavirus, COVID, COVID-19, COVID19, household composition, Keeping Congregations Connected, low income neighborhoods, MapDash for COVID-19, neighborhood outreach, pastoral care, social vulnerabilities, Social Vulnerability Index, socioeconomic status, vulnerable neighborhoods

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