By Madison Carmouche, WKYT
Building a United Interfaith Lexington through Direct-Action (BUILD) is a coalition of more than 25 congregations working toward building a better Lexington.
Each year they focus on specific community problems and present potential fixes at the annual Nehemiah action.
“We’re not just concerned on what happens on Sunday morning or Saturday we care about life the rest of week, the conditions you have to live under so tonight represents that,” First African Baptist Church Pastor and BUILD Co-Chair Nathl Moore said.
Moore says an issue build worked to partially solve with the creation of the affordable housing fund.
“Securing dollars for housing now we begin to take a look at what housing looks like is it safe,” Moore said.
Another issue BUILD has worked on for years is transportation and acknowledging how foundational it is for a person to be successful. The solution on the table is micro-transit. If approved, it would provide more individual transportation access through LexTran.
“The more we dove into it the more we found out that there are lots of people who are isolated and in need of healthcare and groceries and connection with the community,” Kabby Akers said.
The last issue is elder care. The organization is working to implement village models which would create a system of volunteers who helps their aging neighbors.
“Most people want to stay at home in their own home as they get older but it’s very difficult to do without some support,” Deborah Gerth said.
All of these solutions were presented to council members and city officials. They were asked for their help in getting the solutions the support and funding they need.
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