Catholic Charities USA has launched a Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America and is working towards the goal of cutting poverty in half in the United States by 2020. Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany has joined this effort and one of our actions was the publishing of a report “Poverty in the Diocese of Albany: A Threat to the Common Good” (found on www.rcda.org).

There has been a tremendous response to the report and agency Catholic Charities directors, health care providers, community organizations and educators have used the materials to make a difference in their communities and introduce others to the needs of their neighbors.

Did You Know…?

• That Catholic Charities’ emergency housing programs served 780 men, women and children in 2006?
• …that people living in poverty have 25% lower life expectancies than those with higher incomes?
• …that 65% of people surveyed at bankruptcy clinics in the Capital District had medical-related debt?
• …that Food Stamps benefits average only $1.16 per meal?
• …that 55% of children in New York State whose parents do not have a high school degree live in poverty. (Only 10% of children whose parents have at least some college live in poor families.)
• …that it costs $42,432 a year for a parent and two children living in Albany County to cover basic necessities? Yet that family would be trying to live on $14,872 if the parent earned minimum wage?
• …that families living at or below the federal poverty level spend an average of 25% of their total income on child care?

Here are some examples of how some Catholic Charities agencies, Catholic institutions and community organizations have used the poverty report to educate people and engage location officials on the issues of poverty.

• Tom Gillespie, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of Columbia and Greene Counties, met with the Commissioner and the Director of Services from the Columbia County Department of Social Services to discuss expansion of programming to address community and program goals. Each was given a copy of the poverty report and local information was highlighted in the discussion that followed. The paper gave further support to already identified unmet needs, strengthening the current research to be included in requests for proposals or contracts. It also opened the door for discussion on future programming to address the issue of homelessness in Columbia County.
 

• Members of the executive team at St. Mary’s Hospital in Amsterdam were given the poverty report to read as part of the annual strategic planning process for the upcoming fiscal year. The team particularly is referring to the summary of health issues and the impact of society’s present approach to health care financing on the poor, vulnerable and uninsured. Using this report in the planning process also gives the board of directors the vital information needed to understand the complete context to the hospital’s outreach to members of the community who are poor, vulnerable or “left behind” in our society.
 

• Washington County EOC, a Community Action agency, has used the report in developing a money-generating venture to help support its programming for low-income residents. Staff say the statistics were useful in determining potential customers and their needs for a fee-for-service energy-assistnace program.

A recent newsletter of the Public Policy Education Network (PPEN) of the Diocese requests that you consider JUST ONE THING that you can do to reduce poverty in your community. Hopefully, the actions summarized from this newsletter provides you with some inspiration to consider those who are most vulnerable among us.