NORTHERN VIRGINIA, March 1, 2017 – VOICE (Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement), an 8-year-old citizens empowerment group representing 180,000 households here, today decried President Trump’s decision to create a Victims Of Immigration Crime Engagement Office (VOICE) as, not only unnecessary and duplicative, but also a regrettable attempt to criminalize a whole category of U.S. residents, the vast majority of whom are law-abiding, tax-paying contributors to the country’s economy. Click link for full Press Release.
Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement
Organizing for a New Dominion of Justice and Political Participation
VOICE Publications
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Wed, 03/01/2017
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Voice 2014 Annual Report
Thu, 01/15/2015
Check out our 2014 Annual Report which talks about our great work during the year and recognizes our generous donors.
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Sat, 01/25/2014
ARLINGTON, VA (Jan. 25, 2014) – All three Democrats vying for the seat of retiring County Board member Chris Zimmerman declared support last night for the plan proposed by VOICE (Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement) to target county-owned sites for development of affordable housing for households with annual incomes of $50,000 or less.
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Wed, 11/13/2013
In 2013 VOICE organized a 250-person “One Reston Walk” raising the importance of preserving affordable housing and specifically raising concerns about the redevelopment of Crescent Apartments, a market-rate affordable building. In the end, VOICE leaders and Crescent Apartments tenants got Board of Supervisors Chairperson Bulova and Supervisor Hudgins to support tenants with their goal of returning to the redeveloped complex.
Read about Nosa Zeinalabdin & Atif Kambal and other families that will stay in affordable housing in Fairfax County due to our organizing in our booklet
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Tue, 11/12/2013
This is a critical moment for the future of the City of Fairfax. Between 2013-2016, the Fairfax City Council will hear proposals for the development of 2,000-2,500 new residential units. These proposals will include the demolition and redevelopment of more than 50% of the city’s older and most affordable rental housing for working families.
Unless there is strategic and concerted action from faith and community leaders, as well as local residents, our city may cease to be a place where nurses, teachers, restaurant and construction workers – the backbone of our community – can live and work. These families – our neighbors, our members, and ourselves – are critical to our city and our local economy. They are the heart of our communities.
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Mon, 01/14/2013
A brochure with VOICE's accomplishments from 2012 and strategic priorities for 2013-2014
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Tue, 10/23/2012
A list of commitments made at the October 1st Bank & Foreclosure Accountability Action
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Mon, 10/01/2012
Sub-prime lending, foreclosures, and a broken mortgage modification process have devastated Prince William families and neighborhoods. More than 20,000 Prince William County, Manassas, and Manassas Park residents have lost their homes to foreclosure, while remaining residents have lost significant equity from declining real estate values. Foreclosed properties have often been resold to absentee investors or remain abandoned, destabilizing neighborhoods with crime, blight, and declining homeownership rates. 5,000-7,000 Prince William families are currently in immediate danger of foreclosure & 47.4% of Prince William families are currently underwater on their mortgage (the 26th highest jurisdiction in the United States).
VOICE's $300-500 million Reinvestment Proposal is linked to the total value of the subprime loans that went into foreclosure in the Prince William area that were originated by GE (through WMC Mortgage, $220-300 million), Bank of America (through Countrywide, $100-200 million), and JP Morgan Chase (through Long Beach Mortgage, BearStearns, & Washington Mutual, $100-200 million).
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Thu, 09/06/2012
We had four actions in the June 2012! Read about our June 3rd action in Prince William area around Subprime Lending & Foreclosure, our June 11th action in Rt 1/MT Vernon Fairfax County on Youth, our June 17th victory on access to dental care, and June 28th "Aging-Up" Campaign launch in McLean VA.
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Thu, 06/28/2012
Today, 90 VOICE leaders from the McLean and Falls Church communities called on County Supervisor John Foust and the McLean Community Center to increase programs and transportation options for seniors. The public action was hosted by VOICE (Virginians Organized for interfaith Community Engagements) and was attended by members of Temple Rodef Shalom, Dar al Hijrah Islamic Center, St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church, Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, Idylwood Presbyterian Church, Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ, and Lewinsville Presbyterian Church. Allies from the McLean Chamber of Commerce, the Jewish Social Service Agency and the Aging in McLean Taskforce were also present.
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Sun, 06/17/2012
Today V.O.I.C.E. clergy leaders, partners and donors cut the ribbon around a huge papier mache tooth to mark a milestone ─ $200,000 in private funds committed to add a full-time dentist to the Northern VA Dental Clinic in Sterling to serve low-income adults in Western Fairfax County. One hundred fifty people from St. John Neumann Roman Catholic, Trinity Presbyterian (Herndon), Northern VA Hebrew Congregation and The Unitarian Universalist Church of Reston gathered with food and Latin music to celebrate the hiring of a dentist who will start seeing W. Fairfax patients July 1. V.O.I.C.E. leaders announced that thanks to two new commitments just this week, they have met their goal of having enough funds pledged to cover the cost of a dentist for two years.
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Sun, 06/03/2012
On April 10th 2011, 250 religious leaders and homeowners from VOICE gathered in Manassas, Virginia to launch a campaign to hold key financial institutions accountable for their role in the foreclosure crisis in Northern Virginia. In the last 18 months VOICE has organized a number of actions and produced concrete results on the campaign.
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Tue, 05/01/2012
VOICE is engaged in local actions all across Northern VA.
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Tue, 03/06/2012
While President Obama speaks about foreclosure today, his Jobs Advisor has escaped accountability for his role in the same crisis. GE was Worst Lender in Prince William Area During Subprime Lending Spree, Targeting Recent Immigrants
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Sun, 01/29/2012
STATE & COUNTY LEADERS ADD $10K TO $140K IN PRIVATE FUNDS SECURED BY V.O.I.C.E.
Reston, VA – On Sunday afternoon January 29, over 350 members of faith communities and civic organizations in the Reston-Herndon area of Fairfax County gathered under the banner of V.O.I.C.E.
(Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement), and won the support of State and County leaders for an effort to strategically expand dental care for low income adults in the Western part of Fairfax County. -
Sun, 10/30/2011
Growing voice faith coalition gathers 900 citizens, announces next steps in campaign for accountability
Woodbridge, VA – On Sunday afternoon October 30th the Auditorium of Freedom High School had standing room only with over 900 citizens crammed in, pressing to hold big banks accountable to helping families struggling with the housing crisis in the Prince William area. -
Tue, 09/20/2011
On Tuesday, September 20, 2011 at 12 noon at the Prince William County, Virginia Courthouse in Manassas, 40 religious and community leaders from VOICE (Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement, an organization of more than 45 religious congregations and community groups in Northern Virginia) will release their report from mortgage "robo-signing" Prince William County, Manassas, and Manassas Park
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Sun, 05/01/2011
Download to read about the research and organizing that is part of the foundation for VOICE Prince William's foreclosure campaign. If you have questions, contact Frank McMillan at frank@voice-iaf.org. The publication is from May 2011. If you need the most recent statistics, contact a VOICE organizer.
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Sun, 04/10/2011
VOICE Organizes 200 Priests, Pastors, Church Members and Homeowners from Prince William Area.
GE, Bank of America Targeted for High Cost Lending & Low Modification Rates, Predatory Lending
