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Systemic Change Grant Awardees Announcement

Systemic Change Grant Awardees Announcement 1198 1198 Pam Hudson

Thank you to the 38 Conferences and Councils who applied for the Systemic Change Grant.  The good news is that we saw many outstanding and innovative program applications.  The bad news is that we could not award grants to everyone.  To put that in perspective, we had $719,315 in requests and had a $250,000 budget.

The core of The Society’s approach to systemic change is working to remove the conditions that keep pockets of our communities in such need. We continue to learn more about how to broaden our impact because of the innovative programs started by our Councils and Conferences.

We wanted to recognize the 2024 grant awardees:

  • Most Holy Redeemer Conference in Detroit, MI – Fortuna Familiar: Financial Empowerment
  • Helen Conference in Georgetown, TX – Getting Ahead
  • District Council of Contra Costa County in Pittsburg, CA – Workforce Development Program
  • District Council of Marinette in Marinette, WI – Getting Ahead
  • Evansville District Council in Evansville, IN – Microloan Program
  • Diocesan Council of Providence in Providence, RI – Necesities for Neighbors Expansion Program
  • La Pine Conference in La Pine, OR – Self Sufficiency Support (Mentorship) Program
  • Sacramento Council in Sacramento, CA – Housing Navigator for Homeless
  • Annunciation Conference in Altamonte Springs, FL – SVdP Pharmacy of Hope
  • Cabrini Conference in Wausau, WI – Getting Ahead and Bridges out of Poverty
  • Paul the Apostle Conference in NY, NY – Heath and Wellness Transformation
  • Baltimore Council in Baltimore, MD – Getting Ahead
  • Maria Goretti Conference in Hatfield, PA. – Partnership Assisted Resource Training Program

We encourage all Conferences and councils to apply next year.

April Advocacy Update: Child Tax Credit, Affordable Connectivity Program, and a Supreme Court Case

April Advocacy Update: Child Tax Credit, Affordable Connectivity Program, and a Supreme Court Case 1600 615 Kristen Blacksher
Please read the April Adovocacy Update below by Voice for the Poor Chair, Bobby Kinkela:

 

Fellow Vincentians,

I wanted to share what we are working on and what we are watching.

First, as a member of the Circle of Protection, a broad faith-based coalition, President John Berry signed a letter to members of the U.S. Senate urging them to pass the Child Tax Credit.  The House passed their bill with an overwhelming majority. The Senate is bogged down over politics and not on the merit of the issue.  Thank you to the 2,700+ Vincentians that have sent emails to Congress on this issue.  If you have not weighed in, you can still send your message!  Because the legislative calendar is compressed due to the November election, if the Senate does not act soon, the bill will die.

We are monitoring the Affordable Connectivity Program.  The Affordable Connectivity Program provides a $30 discount on internet bills to income qualified households.  This is one of many programs that helps to reduce the internet costs for individuals. While funding for this program is in jeopardy, several similar programs remain including programs that provide cell phones to people who meet certain requirements.

The Supreme Court is hearing a case this week regarding criminalizing homelessness – Grants Pass v. Johnson.  The city argued that the ordinances merely bar camping on public property by everyone, while the challengers contended that the laws effectively make it a crime to be homeless in the city and therefore violate the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Monday’s arguments mainly focused on a 1962 Supreme Court ruling Robinson v. California which held that the 8th amendment forbids states from making laws punishing those addicted to drugs. The current challengers to the Oregon case likewise contend that the city’s ordinances, like the state law in Robinson, punish people who are involuntarily homeless.  We anticipate a decision will be made in late June.

Thank you for your advocacy and prayers.

In Christ,
Bobby Kinkela
Chair, Voice for the Poor Committee

Voice For the Poor Updates

Voice For the Poor Updates 1080 1080 Jill Pioter

Fellow Vincentians,

As the new Chair of the Voice for the Poor Committee, I wanted to update you on our work. First, the new National Council Board made a small name change and we are now the Voice FOR the Poor Committee. While our committee’s name changed slightly, our mission and focus remain the same.

The National Voice for The Poor Committee is charged with advocating on behalf of people in poverty, and with education and information-sharing to strengthen and grow Council and Conference involvement with advocating for policy solutions to local, state, and national leaders and legislators.

During the Midyear Meeting, the National Council Members approved the updated Human Trafficking position paper. One of our committee’s goals is to update the National Council’s position papers, and we would like to update two or three papers each year. We will seek input of other national committees, including Formation, not only to work collaboratively, but also, to make sure that Catholic Social Teaching is incorporated into all our position papers. You can find the position papers on our website.

Also at the Midyear Meeting, we introduced the updated Voice for the Poor Manual, a digital document that can be found and downloaded or printed from the National Council website. I also presented a session on how to start a Voice For the Poor committee and recorded a short video that introduces the Voice For the Poor that will be available for upcoming SVdP Regional Meetings.

Please stay tuned for many exciting Voice For the Poor updates.  You can find more information at https://members.ssvpusa.org/voice-of-the-poor/ or email us at vop@svdpusa.org.

In Christ,
Bobby Kinkela
Voice For the Poor Chair

P.S.  Don’t forget to make advocacy part of your regular Conference and Council meetings. Make it an agenda topic. I encourage you to invite your fellow Vincentians, parishioners, and friends to become advocates for their neighbors in need. Why? Because our neighbors in need deserve it! Sign up at https://ssvpusa.org/take-action. Thank you!

 

SVdP Sends Infrastructure and Budget Letter to Congress

SVdP Sends Infrastructure and Budget Letter to Congress 1200 628 Jill Pioter

On behalf of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and those we serve, SVdP National President Ralph Middlecamp recently sent a letter to Congress, urging Senators and Representatives to prioritize programs and policies that ensure poor and vulnerable families have access to stable housing, health care, and access to economic opportunity.

Click here to read the full letter, or visit our Voice of the Poor page to learn more.

To learn more about how you can contact your own elected officials about important issues like this, please sign up for our Voter Voice program.

Eviction Moratorium and Rent Assistance Update

Eviction Moratorium and Rent Assistance Update 1200 628 Jill Pioter

The Supreme Court has struck down the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) eviction moratorium. Millions of renter households who have struggled to pay rent as a result of the pandemic now face homelessness.

For neighbors in need at risk of eviction, help is available. Find rental assistance available in your community here. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has also created a comprehensive resource for finding housing assistance.

Our updated COVID Response Guide has more information on housing-related assistance and a host of additional resources related to hunger, health care, and more. Download it now on our COVID-19 Response page.

PPP Loan Scam Alert

PPP Loan Scam Alert 1200 628 Jill Pioter

We recently received the following voice mail on a personal cell phone:

“Hi this is Emma XXXX and I’m following up regarding your eligibility for forgiveness and it looks like your application is incomplete and needs to be submitted before the end of the deadline. It is urgent that you return the call to complete your application and to avoid payment or punishment. If you could please call our dedicated eligibility counseling at 1-800-XXX-XXXX to complete your application and finalize your involvement at soon as possible. Again the number is 1-800-XXX-XXXX, thank you and I hope you have a nice day.”

This call has all of the telltale signs of fraud: it was unsolicited, I did not provide my personal cell when National Council applied for their PPP Loan and the caller does not provide the name of the organization.

We all know we should never provide social security numbers, banking/credit card information, or upfront payments, but fraudsters can be tricky and work to make you comfortable enough to provide this information or find a way into your computer and infect it with malware.

Fraudulent calls and emails may appear legitimate at first glance. Emails often use the correct logos for an organization and even direct you to an official-looking website. Be skeptical before you respond or click on a link in an email. Are you expecting the call or email? If the information is pertinent to your current work, move your mouse pointer over the email to reveal the actual full address of the sender and determine if it looks correct. An email regarding a business or government program does not normally come from a personal account or a foreign country. Also, look for misspellings or incorrect grammar in the email. If it looks off, it is most likely a scam. If you are afraid that you may still be missing important information, google the website of the actual organization and using the contact information found on their website call or email them to verify the authenticity. Do not forward the email to others for their opinion, it may contain a virus and forwarding can further spread to others. If it still seems fishy, delete without clicking or responding.

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