Homelessness is one of the focus issues CUU has chosen to learn more about and to develop an action plan to help end homelessness. CUU partners with a local program, the Carroll County Human Services Program (HSP), that fights to end poverty in Carroll County, MD. As a result of this partnership, the CUU congregation participates in the following local programs:

  • HSP Cold Weather Shelter – Teams of volunteers offer their time at the shelter on the first Sunday of the month to check-in shelter residents and on the third Friday of the month to prepare/serve dinner. This program runs from November to March of every year. The shelter would not exist without community volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering contact socialjustice@cedarhurstuu.org.
  • HSP Family Shelter – CUU collects funds from the monthly Social Justice lunch to purchase transit tickets for shelter residents who lack reliable transportation. Lack of reliable transportation is a barrier to getting housing, employment, and benefits for many of the shelter residents. In addition to transit tickets, the CUU congregation generously donates toiletry items for new residents who lack even these basic necessities.
  • Eviction Prevention – CUU collects funds on a monthly basis to donate to a program to prevent eviction.

Unitarian Universalist Service Committee – The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) is a human rights organization powered by grassroots collaboration. In 15 countries throughout the world, UUSC fosters social justice and works toward a world free from oppression. UUSC’s innovative approaches and measurable impact are grounded in the moral belief that all people have inherent power, dignity, and rights. To learn more about UUSC, click here.

Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice – The mission of the Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice (UUSJ) is to mobilize and amplify the voice of Unitarian Universalists in the National Capital Region as we seek to change the world through acts of love and justice. We envision a vibrant regional community of Unitarian Universalists working together to create a peaceful, just, and sustainable world – for ourselves and for the generations to follow. To learn more about UUSJ, click here.

Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of Maryland (UULM-MD) – The Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of Maryland (UULM-MD) is a statewide advocacy network of Unitarian Universalists that works to educate, mobilize, and coordinate UUs on specific issues before the Maryland General Assembly. Working in coalition with established state and national organizations, UULM-MD models a reverence for the interdependent web of all existence which fosters justice, health, and equity in society. We address this vision by alerting, educating, activating, and facilitating our statewide UU base to address several issues before the Maryland General Assembly each year. Issues addressed by the UULM-MD include environmental, economic justice, criminal justice, death with dignity, gun violence, immigration, LGBT, and healthcare. To learn more about UULM-MD, click here.