As the year winds down, social service agencies are seeing a rise in the need for assistance. As they work to fill those needs, they are calling on individuals to learn more about poverty and its causes.
“Sometimes people don’t understand there are people in their city 20 minutes away” who need food and help to keep their utilities on. Some tend to think those things happen in “third-world” countries, said Sister of Charity of Nazareth Paris Slapikas.
Sister Slapikas is the director of Catholic Charities of Louisville’s Sister Visitor Center in the West End. The center provides emergency assistance for rent and utility costs and offers a “choice” food pantry — which offers clients the opportunity to select the items they need.
Sister Visitor typically gets about 300 requests for assistance each month from people who need help paying rent and utilities. It meets about 35 percent of those requests, said Sister Slapikas.
“Housing is such a huge need. We’re able to fill more of those needs (for utilities) than rent,” she said.
Some individuals who seek assistance for rent are multiple months behind on their payments and need more than the center can offer, she said.
“We’re in the middle of a significant crisis right now,” when it comes to the cost of housing and peoples’ ability to afford it, Sister Slapikas said. “As the temperature falls it becomes more precarious.”
St. Vincent de Paul is seeing a similar situation.
The cost of housing has “skyrocketed” and wages are not keeping pace, said Jennifer Clark, who serves as CEO, adding that the organization’s housing program is “consistently full.”
The agency shelters homeless individuals through its Ozanam Inn Men’s Emergency Shelter, veteran housing and family housing.
“We need houses and salaries to be in a place where people can afford to live and have the basic necessities,” she said.
To help meet the need, Clark said the community can help by making financial donations as well as donating their time. People can also have an impact by learning about homelessness and the people it affects, she said.
“Just being aware of the lack of housing and having compassion for their neighbors who are homeless” is a good start, Clark said. Individuals can also “advocate for the city and federal government to allocate resources for shelter and affordable housing.”
Along with the need for housing, the number of individuals needing food is also on the rise.
Sister Visitor gave away 500,000 pounds of food to more than 25,000 individuals last fiscal year said Sister Slapikas.
When the pantry opened three years ago, it was serving about 8,000 individuals per year.
“It’s pretty remarkable. … It clearly speaks to food insecurity,” she said, adding that the pantry sees between 125 and 150 new families each month and people come from across the city.
The center is always seeking volunteers, as well as financial and in-kind donations, Sister Slapikas noted.
She also encourages the community to learn about the issues affecting the needy.
Becoming aware of why this happens is important, she said.
“There are many barriers that lead to these situations. … It has nothing to do with people not doing the best they can. People don’t understand,” she said.
Volunteering with the Sister Visitor Center and other agencies is one way to learn about these issues, she said.
“We build empathy when we encounter and engage with people who have different experiences than our own,” said Sister Slapikas.
St. Vincent de Paul’s numbers also reflect a significant rise in hunger. The number of people seeking food has steadily increased throughout the year, said Clark.
In July, the pantry served about 1,546 individuals per week. In August, it served 1,677 per week. The number fell slightly in September to 1,578 only to rise again in October to 1,938 individuals served per week.
Previously, the food pantry typically served 675 people a week, she said.
The food pantries at both agencies, including Catholic Charities’ Father Jack Jones Food Pantry, are supported by Dare to Care.
Vincent James, Dare to Care’s CEO, said its partner agencies, such as these food pantries, are critical to serving people in need.
“We couldn’t do this important work without our partners,” said James. “It is critical that we support our partners to address the food insecurity.”
James said Dare to Care has seen a 30 percent increase in the need for food over the past three years. Many were seeking assistance for food for the first time, he noted.
With the help of partner agencies — more than half of them faith-based — Dare to Care distributed 20 million pounds of food in 2023, said James. He believes inflation and the end of the pandemic benefits are partly to blame for the increase in need, he said. Dare to Care serves 13 counties, eight of them in Kentucky.
In addition to food and shelter, St. Vincent de Paul and Catholic Charities help provide Christmas gifts and winter clothing this time of year.
For its Christmas giveaway, Catholic Charities needs new unwrapped toys and board games for children ages 4-16.
The agency also needs children’s clothing and winter coats and gift cards for department stores such as Walmart, Target and Meijer.
Items will be collected through Dec. 9. Individuals may shop from an Amazon wishlist and have the items sent directly to Catholic Charities. To see that list, visit tinyurl.com/597un6yw.
Donors may also contact Peyton Rhea, at prhea@archlou.org, and make an appointment to drop items off.
St. Vincent de Paul is hosting its annual Santa Shop — to help families in need provide children with Christmas gifts — on Dec. 15.
The agency is still accepting donations of toys and clothing for the Santa Shop. Clark encourages individuals to call the agency or go online to find out what items are still needed or to make a financial donation.
To reach St. Vincent de Paul, call 584-2480 or visit www.svdplou.org/home. To learn more about the center or to donate, visit cclou.org/sister-visitor-center/.
