St. Vincent de Paul Newsletter
ST. VINCENT de PAUL SOCIETY – ROGUE VALLEY DISTRICT COUNCIL

“We are seeing many people today who have never had to ask for help.  They have always been able to pay their way. You can tell by their manner that asking for assistance is very hard for them. Embarrassment is a common reaction,” says Nola Geaney, President of the Social Services Conference.

Because of these hard times we are having families come to us for help where the breadwinners were successful selling cars and real estate.

"These are people who never  imagined they would be in this position. Whatever safety net they had is gone and they have nowhere else to go,” Nola continues. “Many of the people coming to us are betweenfifty and sixty, some older, and have lost out to younger people entering the job market who don’t expect salaries as high as those who are midcareer in their lives…Probably some of the after affects of age discrimination.”

Besides looking for rental and utility assistance, requests for money for gasoline and apartment deposits are not uncommon. Some people have lost their home due to the mortgage crisis and are looking for help moving to cheaper apartments.  I ask Nola how they respond to our help. She replies, “While they often don’t say much, you can see the relief in their faces when they realize we can provide some help. I remember one man, whose apartment we were able to save, who simply gave a deep sigh and said thank you when I told him we would help. Sometimes, they ask, can’t you do more…Clearly, an indication of their desperation.”

Comparing rental and utility assistance, there has been a 100% increase from June 2007 to June 2008.  Expectations for the future look like more of the same. “Things will probably get tougher,” says Nola. “If people can’t find jobs and pay their

rent, demands will increase. Some may have to give up their insurance, and we will see more requests for medication assistance. And even more folks coming in for groceries and meals.”

“Thankfully, we have wonderful counselors,” Nola reminds me.   “Because of conditions, we see fewer people who are rude, but the days are long and tiring. It is particularly hard on our counselors who work more than one day a week.”  It’s great that Saint Vincent de Paul is able to help in these hard times. 