Society Of St Vincent De Paul Archdiocese Of Galveston-Houston

Homelessness Prevention/Vincentian Services: Homelessness Prevention/Vincentian services involves providing emergency financial assistance with rent, utilities, medical, transportation and other needs to prevent homelessness. Key to this is the personal encounter between our Vincentian volunteers and the family experiencing a crisis, which is often conducted through a home visit. It is in these encounters that we listen and learn the true needs of the family, provide financial assistance to address their needs, and render emotional and spiritual support to humanize the experience. Continued on Schedule O. In our ministry we learn to identify the issues critical to people living in poverty while raising awareness so communities and elected representatives can develop strategies aimed at reducing or eliminating poverty.

Underserved Communities: The Underserved Communities Initiative includes a grant funding program with the goal to create healthy and vibrant Conferences serving at-risk and distressed areas of Galveston-Houston. This program was designed utilizing the Distressed Communities Index (DCI) tool, which contains seven metrics to capture distinct aspects of economic distress -- education, housing, unemployment, employment instability, poverty rate, income ratio, and business growth. Often these communities have the greatest need but are limited in resources. This program is intended to build both human and financial capacity in areas that have been historically forgotten. Continued on Schedule O. Financial assistance is provided by these Conferences to individuals needing assistance with housing, utilities, and other emergency assistance to prevent homelessness.

Disaster Services: Disaster Services assist in helping individuals and families recover from what can be a devastating and life-altering loss. Although the Society is not a first responder in a disaster, its network of regional Conferences collaborates and often dispatches volunteers to disaster areas once the location has been secured and is safe to enter. The Society assists in the process of getting people back to some sense of normalcy. To this end, the Society works to provide financial assistance and basic needs in terms of food, clothing, and furniture or other home goods that may need to be replaced in the event of a natural disaster.

Resiliency: The Resiliency program includes Bridges Out of Poverty and the nationally known "Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin-By World" (Getting Ahead). Phase I of the programs consist of a 16-week incentivized program that helps improve people's lives by assessing their own lives and circumstances and developing tools and skills as part of their move from crisis to self-sufficiency. Getting Ahead participants create their own plan to build more sustainable lives, healthy relationships with community members, short- and long-term goals, and step-by-step plans to achieve those goals. Once participants complete Phase I, they accelerate into Phase II, the Graduate program and are partnered with mentors to elevate their comprehension of financial budgeting and negotiation skills. Learning how to cope with daily life challenges and building the hope that's needed for a better future enables them to advance to the final phase, the Alumni program. Discovering how the right relationships can be a powerful aid to help people along the journey out of poverty, participants become ambassadors for the Society by becoming actively involved in sharing and promoting the success of the program as well as becoming mentors and program facilitators.