CAJE

Congregations Acting for Justice and Empowerment

Mission

The mission of the CAJE Organization is to draw together people of faith to act powerfully to address local community issues through processes of relationship building, direct action, and negotiation with decision-makers.

Past Accomplishments

• CAJE held its first action on February 23, 2004 with 700 people in attendance. At that meeting, Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel agreed to work on ways to improve housing code enforcement. He restructured the department so that the entire city is now being inspected and he increased the number of housing code enforcement inspectors from five to eight.
• CAJE got the Vanderburgh County Council to include a new community dental clinic in their 2006 health department budget. This clinic opened on June 26, 2006 and has an annual budget of $285,000. This clinic supplies dental services to all persons with limited resources for dental care. Services are provided to people on a sliding pay scale, no person will be refused on inability to pay.

Year End Report

April 10, 2008 830 people were present as Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel committed to expand on the commitments made in 2007 on the Evansville Affordable Housing Trust Fund. The taskforce, that he committed to CAJE to estblish last year, reported back that at least 2 million dollars is needed to address the affordable housing crisis in Evansville, Indiana. This year Mayor Weinzafel was asked to commit publically to the goal of at least 2 million dollars, to recommit that the 2/3rds of the trust fund money would be used for very low income famlies (households 50% and below area median income or $20,500). The mayor of Evansville and representatives on the Vanderburgh County Council also committed to CAJE to work state and other local officials to obtain funding for the trust fund and expand the Affordable Housing Trust Fund to county residents. The Council president, vice president, and another member committed that they would begin the process to charge a new fee that would put annual funding into the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

In addition, CAJE got the Evansville- Vanderburgh County School Corporation Superintendant to agree to expanding a pilot program, previously committed to CAJE in 2007 to a corperation wide inishative would focus on increased enrollment of at risk students (students at risk of dropping out of school or graduating high saga school and not going on the college). He committed to work with local princials to make scheduling easier so kids would not be stopped from attending just because scheduling conflicts. The Superentandent also committed to a time line for having reading coaches in EVSC schools this year to help teachers in classrooms with children that are not reading at level.

CAJE got the Vanderburgh County Council to open the Community Dental Clinic on June 26, 2006. In its first six months alone, the clinic saw 1,700 patients, providing almost $300,000 of dental care. Payment is on a sliding fee scale, based on income. No one will be denied services due to an inability to pay.

In the past year, three congregations (Aldersgate United Methodist Church, St. John the Baptist in Newburgh, and Holy Redeemer Catholic Church) joined CAJE; 245 people attended local or national leadership training; 300 people were involved in the annual listening process.

Current Membership

CAJE is an organization made up of 17 religious congregations of various faith traditions: Baptist, Catholic, Methodist and Unitarian Universalist.

Benefits to Membership

CAJE is a vehicle for member congregations to live out their calling to do justice in their community.

Contact Info

Ashley Burgdorf
CAJE Lead Organizer
DART Organizer Institute Alum

713 North Second Avenue
Evansville, IN 47710

Phone - (812)425-8144
Email - cajevansville@hotmail.com