St. Mary’s County Justice and Advocacy Council, Archdiocese of Washington

The Justice and Advocacy (J&A) Council works to create a just society by advocating for the needs of poor and vulnerable people at the local level. Local advocacy for those in our community is essential. People who are unloved, homeless, mentally ill, addicted to drugs, isolated, disabled or elderly are human beings, children of God, not faceless statistics or interesting stories for the media. We experience them every day in our communities.

Local governments regularly make key decisions that can enhance the lives of these, the least among us, or make their lives more difficult. Comprised of faithful volunteers, the J&A Councils seek to collaborate with government officials and partner agencies to fulfill our commission to "…bring good news to the poor, liberty to the captives, new sight to the blind, and to set free the downtrodden." The J&A Councils are committed to establishing and maintaining their communities as just and caring.

We especially need Regular Members to assist the Council’s efforts in identifying relevant local issues, conducting research and otherwise providing input to our efforts. We also need Associate Members to support us by simply standing with the Council when testimony is provided to local elected and appointed issues or writing a letter to the editor.

A few past activities of the St. Mary’s J&A Council includes:

- Testimony to the County Commissioners on the Lexington Park Plan
- Budget Hearing testimony each year
- Presented the Strategy for Affordable Housing Brief in the Fall of 2006
- Organized the meeting for National and White Oak Mobile Home Park residents with a representative from Legal Aid
- Testimony on Accessory Apartments Ordinance change since they are a viable source of affordable housing
- Submitted a “Right of First Refusal” legislative proposal to the County Commissioners and County General Assembly Delegation.

We meet the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 7PM at St. John’s, Hollywood.
For more information, please contact Barbara Thompson. (301) 373 - 8545