(published in the Austin American Statesman on Sept. 8, 2001)

Faith-based initiative a small step forward
(The following guest editorial was written by LSS President
Kurt M. Senske regarding President Bush’s faith-based initiative.)

About the only thing that David Gibson got right in Tuesday’s column, “Faith-based initiative would have little effect,” is right at the end when he noted that our country has huge social problems.

Clearly he missed the rationale behind “charitable choice” legislation: Existing government social programs do not always work. Those behind the writing and implementation of the legislation recognized that “one-size-fits-all” programs are not effective for everyone. Based on their circumstances, people in need are motivated to overcome their problems by a variety of things. Some respond to threats that aid will be cut off; others need support and guidance that will help them overcome the cause of their problems.

Gibson claims that President George W. Bush’s faith-based program “will not make much difference, either for the needy or for the religious groups the program was supposed to help.” He further claims that organizations such as Lutheran Social Services, Jewish Community Services and Catholic Charities didn’t like the idea of “more competition” from smaller faith-based organizations to help the needy. While I cannot speak for Jewish Community Services or Catholic Charities, I can unequivocally say that as far as Lutheran Social Services is concerned, Gibson is wrong on both accounts.

At Lutheran Social Services of the South, where we serve more than 26,000 children, elderly and poor each year in Texas and Louisiana, there is clearly more need than there are public and private resources to meet those needs. The reality is that at LSS, more than two-thirds of our programs are designed to lose money year in and year out. We would rejoice if there was not a need for our services. But the sad fact is, we and every other social service organization - faith-based or not - cannot meet all of the demand placed upon our services.

Take the child welfare system, for example. Last year, we served nearly 1,300 children in our foster homes and residential treatment centers, making us the largest provider of children’s residential services to abused and neglected children in Texas. These children come to us because they have been removed by state child welfare authorities from homes where kids have been neglected and/or physically, sexually and emotionally abused. If we did not recruit and train foster parents and if we did not have residential treatment centers to try to heal these children with severe emotional and behavioral problems, there would be few options for these damaged children.

Addressing the root causes of abuse and neglect - poverty, joblessness, poor education, poor parenting skills - are issues we as a society should address. Until then, though, organizations such as LSS will continue to address the results of abuse and neglect by offering these children safe havens, treatment and assurances that the environments from which they come are not the accepted norm.

I firmly disagree that the president’s legislation is too small to have an impact; it is at least a step in the right direction. And that is what we haven’t had in a long time: a step in any direction to reform our social services system.

Senske is president and chief executive officer of Lutheran Social Services of the South, a faith-based, nonprofit social service organization based in Austin.

Return to Top