Catholic Charities and diocesan parishes address a growing housing crisis

St. John Bosco Church in Woodstock provides rent and utility assistance to residents in Shenandoah County through its thrift store, St. John Bosco Catholic Outreach. A small blue house on N. Main St., the thrift store appears unassuming. But in 2024, it provided nearly $45,000 in rent and utility assistance to 154 residents.

Purchases made at the thrift store go toward the parish outreach hotline, which provides rent and utility assistance to those in need. The thrift store is closed temporarily for renovations but will reopen Jan. 24.

Volunteers gathered at the thrift store Jan. 3 to sand walls, box Christmas items and paint bookcases. Manager Donna Armstrong began painting the staircase wall a cornflower blue. “Everyone is pretty much saying the same thing: we’re seeing a need for rent assistance and utilities,” she said.

She stopped as a knock sounded at the back door. She handed out a bag of food to a woman who had come to the store seeking help.

“You are reflecting God to the people who walk into this store, and I want them to see him when they interact with us,” Armstrong said.

Outreach Hotline Director Don Jurgensmeyer surveyed volunteers sanding walls. “Over the past two years, we have donated almost $100,000,” he said.

Jurgensmeyer fields phone calls on the outreach hotline from those in need. A retired U.S. Navy master chief, he vets the calls and checks for repeat callers. He walks the applicant through submitting a formal request, after which up to $300 in assistance may be provided.

“A lot of times, they’re out of a job or they don’t have anybody,” Jurgensmeyer said.

The outreach ministry collaborates with other local churches that provide financial assistance, as well as with Shenandoah Alliance for Shelter and local police to identify emergency housing when necessary.

Like St. John Bosco, many parishes host programs that provide limited financial aid. Other parishes host conferences of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, an international organization that helps those in need.

“Today, 11 St. Vincent de Paul conferences serve the poor in 13 parishes, with more to come,” said Larry Ferguson, president of the society’s Arlington Diocese District Council.

Each conference meets with applicants one-on-one to discuss their needs and determine a financial aid package.

“In the last year, in addition to the more important spiritually based encouragement, we provided for over 16,000 families. We distributed over $2 million of direct financial assistance to them,” Ferguson said. “A little more than half went for rental assistance that prevented evictions, while another large share paid utility bills that kept homes warm in the winter, cool in the summer. Our all-volunteer membership lives by the words, ‘No form of poverty is foreign to the Society.’ ”

Many parishes that do not have an outreach program for rent or utility assistance direct those in need to diocesan Catholic Charities, which provides financial assistance for rent, utilities, car repairs and basic household needs. Last year, Catholic Charities provided $914,000 in emergency assistance to clients for rent, utility and car repairs.

But the virtual line of applicants is long, according to Mary McNamee, Catholic Charities program director of emergency assistance.

McNamee said that the most urgent need among clients today is rent assistance. “Most of that is because the debt ratio, or the amount that they need, is much more than they can afford,” she said. “They’re past due for rent. They’ve had something happen, a medical bill. They were sick, or had a large car repair, you name it … So then that’s when we step in and try to fill the gap.”

Catholic Charities goes a step further to equip their clients with financial safety information. Through a partnership with Fairfax-based nonprofit Britepaths, Catholic Charities provides free budgeting classes to help clients better manage their finances.

Similar to parish programs, the assistance Catholic Charities provides is “not an ongoing assistance. It’s really to help the person who’s struggling,” McNamee said. “We want to transform them so that they can put that past behind them, and they can move forward on good footing.”

The purpose of providing limited financial assistance is to help individuals become self-reliant, a mentality rooted in Catholic social teaching, said Father Augustine Minh Hai Tran, pastor of St. John Bosco.

“We’re trying to help people to stand on their own two feet. We don’t want to be creating a crutch, so that they depend on us,” Father Tran said. In addition to providing financial relief, it is essential to recognize a person’s human dignity and enable them to support themselves, he said. Even more than that, he said, charity is the path to evangelization.

“Before you embrace the faith, you’re a person,” he said. “We rebuild, rekindle that humanity in us, and then they can embrace the faith.”

Need help?

Go to ccda.net/need-help/rent,-utility,-and-emergency-household-assistance, or contact your local parish for assistance.
Please note that many parishes assist residents only within their boundaries and/or county.