FARMINGTON — An ecumenical service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day begins at noon Monday, Jan. 17, at Henderson Memorial Baptist Church on Academy Street.

This year’s program will focus on rural homelessness. Guest speaker Nancy Fritz, director of the Homeless Initiatives Department at Maine State Housing Authority, will share her perspective on rural homelessness and suggest ways the public might respond.

The service, held annually, is sponsored by the Farmington Area Ecumenical Ministry.

Since homelessness is becoming more prevalent in the Farmington area, the FAEM member churches chose to focus this year on a local issue of injustice, said the Rev. Susan Crane of the host church, Henderson Memorial.

Churches receive calls on a weekly basis from families in need of housing, she said.

The problems of poverty are exacerbated by the scarcity of affordable housing in Franklin County, she said. According to MSHA, 2,100 families in the Farmington area have insufficient income to afford the cost of a two-bedroom rental unit.

A special offering will be taken at the MLK service for the Greater Franklin Homeless Coalition Fund, first established in 2007 by contributions and a grant from the United Way of the Tri-Valley Area Venture Fund, to provide financial assistance to the homeless.

Approximately 50 families, many with children, have received help from this fund since 2007.

Unlike more urban areas, Franklin County has no shelter for homeless people.

Checks brought to the Martin Luther King Day service, payable to FAEM, with “Homeless” on the memo line, will be acknowledged and are tax-deductible. The total offering will be given to the Homeless Coalition fund. Readers who prefer to send a contribution directly may send checks to: Greater Franklin County Homeless Coalition, c/o WMCA, P.O. Box 200, East Wilton, ME 04234.

Until earlier this month, Fritz served for 5 1/2 years as Gov. John Baldacci’s primary liaison on homeless issues and as a member of his cabinet. For the previous 20 years, she served in leadership positions with Maine nonprofit organizations.

She has been an active or founding member of the Maine Affordable Housing Network, the Maine Community Action Association, and served on the Board of Directors for the Maine Center for Economic Policy.

Fritz  is also a graduate of Bangor Theological Seminary and an ordained clergywoman.