homelessness prevention

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SVdP National President Featured in National Catholic Register

SVdP National President Featured in National Catholic Register https://ssvpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ncr.png 398 398 SVDP USA SVDP USA //ssvpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/svdp-usa-ssvp-int.png August 22, 2024 August 22, 2024

“To address the homelessness crisis, we must encounter those on the brink.” So writes SVdP National President John Berry, in his latest op-ed for the National Catholic Register.

Here’s an excerpt:

“To understand why prevention programs are so critically needed, we must first understand why so many people are becoming homeless. According to Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, the number of Americans experiencing homelessness has risen almost 50% over the past eight years. 12 million people are “severely cost-burdened,” and thus at risk of becoming homeless themselves. That massive increase can’t be attributed to drugs or mental illness (even if those ills affect the most visibly homeless). Instead, its main drivers are brute economic factors like skyrocketing housing costs and inflation. “A great river of poverty is traversing our cities and swelling to the point of overflowing,” Pope Francis said in his 2023 message for the World Day of the Poor. “It seems to overwhelm us, so great are the needs of our brothers and sisters who plead for our help, support and solidarity.””

Click here to read John’s full article.

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John Berry: How Can We Help Families on the Brink of Homelessness?

John Berry: How Can We Help Families on the Brink of Homelessness? https://ssvpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/newsweek.png 1080 1080 SVDP USA SVDP USA //ssvpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/svdp-usa-ssvp-int.png July 5, 2024 August 30, 2024

“Many…people at risk of homelessness today would have been, in simpler times, ‘the working poor,'” writes SVdP National President John Berry.

“But as families and communities have broken down, the burden of providing has shifted onto frailer, lonelier shoulders. And as inflation continues to wreak havoc on families’ budgets, more and more single-parent families stand on the brink of homelessness. One car wreck, hospital stay, or layoff can dislodge a family from a home and put them out on the streets.”

Read John’s full piece in Newsweek.

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Society of St. Vincent de Paul Statement on Supreme Court Decision in Grant’s Pass Vs. Gloria Johnson

Society of St. Vincent de Paul Statement on Supreme Court Decision in Grant’s Pass Vs. Gloria Johnson https://ssvpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/court.png 552 552 SVDP USA SVDP USA //ssvpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/svdp-usa-ssvp-int.png June 28, 2024 June 28, 2024

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul expresses concern regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson. By ruling in favor of the plaintiff, the Supreme Court has signaled that local governments can make it a crime for someone to live outside and unsheltered if they have no home.

“Reasonable people may and will disagree about this decision, but the fact of the matter is it doesn’t get to the heart of the homelessness crisis,” said John Berry, National President at Society of St. Vincent de Paul. “Neither stricter nor more lenient criminal laws sufficiently address the problem — which has vastly more to do with skyrocketing housing costs and inflation than it has to do with how local governments regulate homeless encampments.”

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul currently maintains a network for homeless prevention through rent assistance with an outlay of over $60 million. These programs typically involve home visits, personalized resources, engagement with landlords, crafting a “Stability Plan,” and financial assistance in making rent and paying utilities. These programs usually work alongside local governments, putting homelessness prevention ahead of policing in addressing the roots of homelessness.

“These temporary assistance programs work — and produce long-lasting effects while reducing the economic and social strain of homelessness on cities, towns, and counties,” said Berry. “But more than dollars, homelessness prevention programs like ours save lives and dignity. While City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson helps call attention to the severity of our homelessness crisis, we must work together to restore stability and dignity to neighbors living on the edge of homelessness.”

According to a recent study conducted by Notre Dame’s Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO), persons who received an average of $2,000 in emergency financial assistance were “81 percent less likely to become homeless within six months of enrollment and 73 percent less likely within 12 months.” In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision, the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul will continue unabated to pursue positive outcomes like these across the country.