poverty

Op-Ed Published 4/25/2025 in Real Clear Religion. Submitted by John Berry, National President of Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA

Why should a Catholic charity involve itself in advocacy? “Stay out of politics,” many would say. If you want to help the poor, stick with works of charity. Leave it to the experts to address the issues that cause or perpetuate poverty, dependency, and need.

As the president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) USA — one of the largest religious charities in the country — I feel the weight of this question acutely.

At SVdP, we serve those in need without regard for their demographics or creed, no matter what political party is in power. But increasingly, I am convinced that the work of charity cannot, and must not, be neatly divided from the claims of justice. In other words: While SVdP is not a political organization, our work and our faith demand that we advocate for those living in poverty.

In America today, more than a half a million people every night experience homelessness. That number is rising, and the face of poverty is changing; seniors, women, single parents, and the displaced middle class have become a larger part of the more than 5 million people we serve every year.

A recent client at an SVdP in a Midwestern city exemplifies this trend. For years, Scott had worked hard and lived comfortably in the same home. Then his work hours were cut and his health declined; he had to assume primary caregiver responsibilities for his 80-year-old father and a fire forced them to leave their home. Just like that, he was facing homelessness and came to St. Vincent de Paul with nowhere else to go.

As Christians, we cannot simply walk by when we encounter suffering. We are called to act. But what kind of action is called for?

“It is too little to relieve the needy day by day,” wrote Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, the founder of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. “It is necessary to get to the root of the evil, and by wise reforms to diminish the causes of public misery.”

Ozanam famously compared the work of charity to “the Samaritan who pours oil on the wounds of the traveler who has been attacked,” before adding: “It is justice’s role to prevent the attack.” The personal encounter with our neighbor in need must propel us into action. Charity alone is not enough. We must become fighters for justice.

I am not simply making a “treat the root causes” argument for why religious charities like the Society of St. Vincent de Paul should not shy away from pursuing policy change. I am saying we have a particular responsibility to advocate on behalf of those we serve. Why? Because the people best equipped to craft policy changes that will truly help the poor and suffering are those who have personally served them, spoken with them, listened to them.

It is with this responsibility in mind that the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is opening a second National Office, in Washington, DC. We will increase our efforts to advocate on behalf of those we serve and turn our focus more intensely towards the pressing issues of our time, particularly the scourge of poverty and homelessness that afflicts far too many of our fellow Americans. Recently, for example, we urged Congress to expand the Child Tax Credit. We also spoke out against cuts to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food purchase program for schools and foodbanks.

In so doing, we are not drifting from the proper scope of our mission: We are focusing it. SVdP volunteers across the country spend countless hours each year in service to those living on the margins. We don’t come to understand the situations of neighbors in need from books or think tank sessions. We learn by being with them, suffering with them, praying with them, caring for them, loving them. The direct relationship we have with our neighbors in need gives us perspective and insight that we must share with policy makers, like-minded nonprofits, and other organizations to help drive change.

In other words: Charity must lead us towards justice. The personal encounter with those in need obligates us to advocate on behalf of those we serve. If we understand the root of their struggles and yet do nothing to help address the underlying causes, how is that any different from seeing them hungry or cold and refusing to provide them food or warmth?

“When we have fulfilled this ministry, not for a few months, but for many years,” the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s founder wrote, and when we have cared for those in need “at home, at school, at the hospital, not in one city only, but in many . . . then we begin to know the elements of this formidable problem of misery; then we have the right to propose serious measures, and instead of frightening society, we give it consolation and hope.”

So many struggling Americans need consolation and hope today. Those who serve them in charity must not hesitate to advocate on their behalf for justice.

Op-Ed Published in the Dayton Daily News 3/26/2025. Submitted by John Berry, National President of Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA

After a decades-long decline in poverty among elderly populations, there has been a sharp uptick in recent years. This dangerous trend particularly affects older women. According to a recent government report, the number of older women classified as impoverished rose to 15% in 2023 from 11.7%. Today, one in six American women 65 years old or older live in poverty. Among Black, Latina, and Indigenous populations, the poverty rate is closer to one in five.

Many who work with homeless populations report early signs of a “gray wave”, as more older Americans, often living on a fixed income, become homeless due to increasing rents and costs of living.

The story of a Dayton, Ohio, woman named Patricia is illustrative. For most of her life, Patricia’s living situation had been the picture of stability: She lived for 51 years in the same home, before moving to an apartment across town, where she spent another decade. But in 2021, a property management company controlling Patricia’s apartment started hiking her rent and then refused to work with a rental assistance program. Before long, she was forced out.

As the baby boomer generation ages, the number of elderly homeless is expected to triple by decade’s end. To understand why this trend is so dangerous, consider the situation of older women like Patricia. It can be difficult for anyone to get back on their feet once they’ve become unhoused. The fees and fines, the black marks on your record, the acute difficulties of finding or holding a job without a place to live—these troubles afflict even those who are relatively young and healthy. Elderly people face greater physical limitations and have fewer technology skills for finding help.

That’s why homelessness prevention is so important. At the Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA, we care for those who live on the brink of homelessness, knowing that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” But you don’t need any special expertise to recognize how terribly vulnerable elderly populations are—or how quickly a temporary stint of homelessness can become a terminal condition for people in declining health.

Consider the stories of two more women who, like Patricia, came to the Dayton SVdP for help when their housing precarity reached a crisis point.

For a woman named Brenda, disaster struck when she woke up one morning and couldn’t feel her right leg. It took doctors months before they ordered an MRI that showed she had scoliosis, arthritis, and a compressed spine. In the meantime, Brenda ran out of PTO, sick leave, and FMLA benefits. She lost her job, could no longer pay her rent, and received an eviction notice.

In Evelyn’s case, she already couldn’t work because of advanced emphysema. To make the most of her supplemental security income, she shared an apartment with roommates. But when her roommates stopped paying their share of the rent, she was evicted alongside them. She’s on oxygen, and had to live out of her car.

For older women living in poverty, homelessness prevention doesn’t mean the same thing as it does for those whose precarity stems from unemployment, substance use, or mental health issues. Job training, counseling, or rehabilitation isn’t usually what they need.

What women like Patricia, Brenda, and Evelyn need is affordable housing — something in increasingly short supply around the country. With mounting health concerns and diminishing employment prospects on the horizon in their sunset years, older women in poverty acutely need the stability and dignity of a place to call their own.

They also need support tailored to their particular needs: assistance in finding and applying for programs and resources, greater access to health workers, in addition to facilities and services accommodating of people with limited mobility.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul helped these women stabilize their situation and seek out long-term housing, and I’m proud of that. But the impending “gray wave” of homelessness is a problem that demands collective action — from local non-profits and affordable housing initiatives to state and federal programs.

I think all of us can agree that we want a world in which older women aren’t forced out onto the street because of limited income or poor health. But as the costs of housing, food, and health care continue to rise, that shared goal is going to require significant, concerted effort. Let’s begin now.