Remarks to the National Urban League Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: July 28, 2003

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, August 4, 2003

See, every day across America, faith-based and community groups ate touching people's lives in profound ways--give shelter to the homeless and provide safety for battered women; they bring compassion to lonely seniors. America's neighborhood healers have long experience and deep understanding of the problems that many late, and many of them have something extra besides experience. They have inspiration, as they carry God's love to people in need. I like to call the neighborhood healers America's social entrepreneurs. And they need the support of foundation America and corporate America. They need the support of individuals and, of course, congregations. And when appropriate, they deserve the support of the Government.

Government has no business endorsing a religious creed or directly funding religious worship. But for too long, Government treated people of faith like second-class citizens in the grantmaking process. Government can and should support effective social services provided by religious people, as long as those services go to anyone in need. And when Government gives that support, faith-based institutions should not be forced to change the character of their service or compromise their principles.

Neighborhood healers have not been treated well by the Federal Government, so I signed an Executive order banning discrimination against faith-based charities by Federal agencies. I created special offices in my key Cabinet departments to speak up for faith-based groups and to help them access Government funding. I've asked the departments to report to me on a regular basis to make sure the old days are gone, to make sure we challenge and harness the great strength of the country, the heart and soul of our citizens. We're changing the focus of Government from process to results. Instead of asking the question, "Is this a faith-based program," we're now asking the question, "Does the program work," and if so, it deserves our support.

And the support is making a difference. Here in Pittsburgh, the North Hills Community Outreach, ah interfaith human services agency, uses about $76,000 from the Department of Health and Human Services to help people get through tough times. In other words, we're using taxpayers' money to help support programs that use the faith component to help change lives and save lives.

A fellow named Royal Patterson went to this program. He was a painter for 27 years, and then he was unable to climb up a ladder. So he goes to North Hills. They gave him food. They gave him bus passes. They helped him to get a new job. But what he said was--most important--he said, "It was so uplifting. You figure nobody cares, but they care."

There's a lot of programs around based on faith that care for people, and our Government must recognize their potential in our society if we want to heal lives all across America.

I've asked Congress to fund $100 million for the Compassionate Capital Fund. That's a fancy word for providing money for organizations like the Urban League to teach some of these small faith programs how to apply for grants, how to help manage and train their staffs. In other words, I fully recognize that some of the programs in some of the neighborhoods need management help. They need guidance. And I would hope that Marc would take advantage of this program to help some faith programs all around the country be fully prepared to do what they're called to do, which is love somebody in need.