Cathedral Social Ministries: A Beacon Of Hope During Pandemic And Beyond
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Catholic Charities partners with Gardner Healthcare for the Homeless to provide free primary healthcare in Cathedral Social Ministries’ clinic. As soon as the vaccine was available, curbside COVID-19 vaccines to the homeless were offered and weekly curbside COVID-19 testing.
Q&A with Sharon Miller, Director, Cathedral Social Ministries located at John XXIII Multi-Service Center Why has it been critical for your services to continue to be accessible during the last two years of the pandemic? John XXIII’s “The Window” is the only stable day service in the county where a homeless person can receive mail while homeless.
This is critical because we received over 300 stimulus checks, including unemployment checks for the homeless. Another critical need besides mail, sandwiches, and healthcare is access to a telephone. We revived an old service, our landline telephone, so the homeless could connect with providers and family. Many homeless have cell phones. However, during the first year of the pandemic there was no place open that would let a homeless person charge their cell phone. We then partnered with San Jose Rotary who donated battery chargers. We will give the homeless person a charger and they return the charger in two weeks for another fully charged battery pack.
For the first two years, Martin Luther King Library across the street from us was closed so the homeless could no longer access their public computers. Because of this, we needed to begin providing a laptop service at The Window. Our service navigators would help the homeless access social security benefits and unemployment benefits online since government agencies were closed to the public. We also registered them to receive social service benefits. The Window saw a 25% increase in receiving Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards which are public assistance benefit cards, much like a credit card, allowing people to purchase food.
““The Pandemic Taught Us To Come Together In A Way We Never Knew Was Possible. Our Human Worth, Dignity And Creativity Turned Barriers Into Opportunities And Tragedy Into Long Term Changes Resulting In Positive Outcomes. I Am Thankful To Our Donors, Volunteers, And Community Partners ,” ”
Are You Serving More People?
Our numbers average around 150 people a day.
However, our registration for first-time services increased to 25 new people and families a week. We started to see more women and children who were struggling with domestic violence, as well as people who had never been homeless before. We were able to serve more homeless people with shelter placement because the county pivoted creating a centralized shelter placement hot line. We placed over 300 homeless people in shelter the first year. We also united more homeless people with family members who allowed their family member to return home to shelter in-place. What do you expect going forward in the needs of those you serve? Our services will continue to be client centered. We will always address the barriers to health, food insecurity, shelter, employment, recovery from substance abuse, mental health, and our dire need for permanent supportive housing.
To Learn More About Cathedral Social Ministries’ Programs – The Window, Bridges Of Hope, And Catholic Charities John XXIII Gardner Heathcare Clinic – Visit CCSCC.Org/social-ministries
