JOSHUA Journal. JOSHUA 11 th Annual Banquet. 11x15 Prison Reform Task Force. Religious Leaders Caucus. Mental Health Task Force

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1 JOSHUA Journal August 2015 Mental Health Task Force Page 2 11x15 Prison Reform Task Force Page 3 Religious Leaders Caucus Page 4 JOSHUA 11 th Annual Banquet Thursday evening November 12 th 2015 at the Riverside Ballroom in Green Bay. Doors will open at 5:30pm for a cash bar, dinner (chicken and tips) silent auction, clergy cake-off, and much much more Get your tickets TODAY! Online: Click Here Or call us at We are very excited for our guest speaker. Guest&Speaker:&Dr.&Rev.&Everett&Mitchell!is!Director!of! Community!Relations!of!UW5Madison!and! Pastor!at!Christ!the!Solid!Rock!Baptist! Church,!Madison.!His!life!focus!has!been! examining!the!relationship!of!the!church!to! social!issues,!such!as!poverty,! incarceration,!and!immigration.! Read!more!about!Rev!Everett!Mitchell!here:! JOSHUA Up Coming Dates November 3 rd 6am-5pm ROC Wisconsin (Beyond 11x15) November 5 th Noon1:30pm Religious Leaders Caucus November 5 th 6:30-8pm Mental Health Task West Side Moravian November 9 th 6:30-8pm Migration Advocacy St Willebrord

2 Mental Health Task Force It has been an incredibly busy couple of months for our JOSHUA Mental Health Task Force. Filled with education, advocacy, and hard work. Our original ask (listed below under Sheriff and Public Safety s Budget) was put into the 2016 budget, but we need to make sure it gets voted through on November 4 th. Sheriff's & Public Safety's Budget: 1) 24/7 RN coverage at the jail 2) Extra 8 hrs Psych coverage at the jail 3) A liaison between the jail and county, to help transition those entering and being released from jail. The Human Services proposal to budget listed below, is the result of a Task Force formed by Supervisor Guy Zima; which JOSHUA was asked to be a part of. The task force worked tirelessly to form a plan around the mental health and detox gaps in Brown County. The plan is listed below! Human Services Committees proposal to budget: 1) $1.15 million for: a) Transitional Residential Treatment, add more beds for those being released from prison or hospital to recover and get the help they need. b) Mobile Crisis Unit, to be able to go to the person in crisis, instead of taking them to hospital or jail. This would work in many instances. We have that capability now, but not enough Crisis Workers to make it happen. c) De Tox program, partner with existing hospital to allow county people to be in treatment an average of 2 1/2 days, at a safe place and not be de toxing in jail, Crisis Center, or on the street. d) Day Reporting Center, a place for people to go to be accountable, meds dispensed, job search help, section 8 housing options, etc. This may allow more to be released with restrictions, but be helped while doing so. These are all things we had in the past. These are things other counties are doing, with great success. To me, this is a great "first step" in helping the mentally ill and AODA people. These are the items in the budget that "YOU" helped get there! So, let's get it passed! Call or your supervisor and other supervisors, and our County Executive, Troy Streckenbach, asking them for their support of these items. Click Here to find out who your supervisor is! Contact our taskforce chair, Cheryl Weber at: cherylw@wi.twcbc.com View more about our task force at our website at: If you are interested in joining the Mental Health Task force, please come to the meetings every first Thursday of every month at 6:30pm at the West Side Moravian (1707 S Oneida Street Green Bay, WI) 2

3 1 2 ROC- Wisconsin (Beyond 11x15) As 2015 draws to a close, we renew our commitment to end mass incarceration in Wisconsin. ROC Wisconsin will continue to demand all the reforms that were lifted up by the 11x15 Campaign to keep people out of prison, to treat prisoners more humanely and fairly, and to ensure those returning from prison have a chance to succeed. ROC Wisconsin s four principal aims will be: For Wisconsin to invest in the programs and strategies that will end the racial and economic disparities that fuel mass incarceration; For Wisconsin to reduce it prison population to 11,000, and to reduce the number of people on extended supervision; For Wisconsinites to view people who have been convicted of a crime as human beings, members of families, and assets to the community; For formerly-incarcerated people to be restored to full participation in our communities, our economy and our civic life. The ROC Wisconsin kick-off will include a prayer service to remember all those caught up in the system, a press conference, legislative visits, informational presentations, and a chance to meet with others who share your concerns. Tuesday, November 3rd, 2015 BUS LEAVES FROM Green Bay at 6am from West Side Moravian Tickets are $15 Contact us at to get your ticket today! We invite you to share in this work. We meet the fourth Thursday of the month at 5pm at West Side Moravian Church. Contact Chair, Rev Marian Boyle, at: pastor@wsmoraviangb.org for more information Solitary Confinement Cell MAJOR SUCCESS Thank you so much to everyone who volunteered and came to see the Solitary Confinement Cell! We had over 400 people through to learn about abuse of solitary confinement. We had two public forums; one around mental health and the other around prison reform, a community leaders and legislators breakfast, and a Brown County Religious Leaders Caucus meeting at the cell! Did you know The prison population in Wisconsin has more than tripled since 1990, and We spend more on prisons than on education. Learn more at: 11x15 Prison Reform Task Force 3

4 Religious Leaders Caucus of Brown County The Religious Leaders Caucus of JOSHUA is comprised of clergy and religious leaders who are supportive of the work of JOSHUA. Religious leaders who gather are both from JOSHUA member congregations and congregations not members of JOSHUA. We meet once a month, September through May for lunch, theological reflection, prayer and support. The Religious Leader Caucus offers service to JOSHUA in clarifying, developing and acting on issues of justice. This group seeks to provide the theological framework for the work we share. This Caucus is often invited to provide guidance when JOSHUA is considering a new issue to assist in discerning how our shared faith values call us to action. The Religious Leaders meet every first Thursday of the month from noon to 1:30pm. We rotate locations and have a BYOL (Bring Your Own Lunch) policy. If you are interested in joining the Religious Leaders Caucus please contact our new Chair Rev Steve Hartman at: sbhartman@gmail.com Introducing Rev Steve Hartman as our Chair: I am Rev. Steve Hartman, an ordained American Baptist Minister who recently served the Union Congregational United Church of Christ as Interim Minister (with standing in the United Church of Christ). I was part of the initial training and development of JOSHUA ten year ago. After serving churches in other parts of the country I returned to Green Bay to re-engage with JOSHUA. I have a desire to see religious leaders in the Greater Green Bay area develop networks of relationships, common knowledge and shared commitment around social justice issues. I believe the times in which we live call religious leaders to be prepared to advocate for on behalf of the most needy, those without a voice in our community. I believe JOSHUA can offer a solid force for common good and the needs of all people from a faith based perspective. I am particularly interested in education. 4

5 Solidarity Celebration 2015 Barnes and Noble Bookfair! December 10 th 9am-10pm Mention JOSHUA at the time of your checkout, and a portion of proceeds will come back to support JOSHUA!! Come do your holiday shopping and have us gift wrap for you! Click here for our event page! JOSHUA will be having a solidarity celebration on January 14 th 2016 at St Matthew Parish (130 St Matthew Street Green Bay WI 54301) Our celebration will start at 6:30pm. Our Solidarity Celebration will consist of a re-commitment for all of our member congregations as well as all of our strategic partnerships. We will also be welcoming new leadership into JOSHUA as well as new member congregations! After the Celebration, we will have a reception in the Gathering Space with all of our task-force chairs to talk one-on-one about the work of JOSHUA! Can t make it out that day? Visit BN.COM/bookfairs to support us online from 12/10/15 to 12/15/15 by entering Bookfair ID at checkout. If you have any questions please contact Rachel Westenberg at rachel.wisdomwi@gmail.com or

6 A Note From the Organizer! This time is such a busy time of year, with the banquet just around the corner, ROC Wisconsin being rolled out, fundraisers through the holiday season and all the movement in the county on mental health; all such amazing things happening but all completely necessary and vital for our community here in Brown County. I would like to challenge JOSHUA leaders in the next couple of months to schedule some one=on=ones as you meet some new people interested in JOSHUA. We have a new membership congregation joining us in the solidarity celebration in January; new leaders coming to the 11 th Annual Banquet in November; new task force members coming around the table for the different issues JOSHUA is now working on. Please take advantage of this to form relationships and be in community with those around us. One=on-ones are necessity when a party of Grassroots Organizing, so lets work together in the next couple of months to form new relationships! I look forward to the next couple of months and seeing everyone out supporting JOSHUA weather it be at our banquet, our Barnes and Noble Bookfair, the Solidarity Celebration, our regular task force meetings or all the above! JOSHUA s Community Organizer Rachel Westenberg Feel Out of the Loop? How to get involved with JOSHUA! JOSHUA 130 St. Matthew Street Green Bay, WI Visit our website! Like us on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter! Follow us on Instagram! View our videos on Youtube! youtube.com/joshua4justice