Catholic Charities Helps
Homeless
by Clarence Schadegg
Father John Estrem,
Executive Director of Catholic Charities, granted me an interview
with him on September 28, 2005. We talked about the accommodation
of disabled people who seek shelter as well as those with a disability
who work for Catholic Charities. Some of the people who’ve received help through either the shelters or social
services wind up working for Catholic Charities. Father John stated,
this organization “relies on the skill and talent of college
educated social workers as well as former clients who have the knowledge
of this and other agencies.” My interview turned out to be
a far more complex project than what I expected it to be. There are
so many important parts to this story. And I cannot do justice to
all of them in one article. I believe the complexity has to do with
changes in funding sources, and the work load has stretched the energy
level of the staff to their limits. The ratio of staff to resident
varies from place to place. The level of support service(s) is partly
based on internal and/or external resources by personnel or access
and accommodation. Catholic Charities operates under a budget of
thirty-three million dollars which may seem like a lot of money.
But I was impressed with staff commitment to such a heavy work load
with insufficient funds. The struggle, I believe, is between the
good will and hard work of the staff; the need for accommodation
that will allow for total access at every level for disabled staff
and residents, and the transition away from a traditional model to
one that is all inclusive to a diverse population of people. I think
it is ironic that a program, like that of Catholic Charities, which
provides such an important function in our city, doesn’t get
more financial support.
According to Father
John, Catholic Charities does accommodate disabled residents of
the shelter as well as disabled employees because it is “required
by law, and also” because we think it is
the right thing to do. We’re a Faith Based Social Service Organization
. . . we’re related to the Catholic Church,” but “Our
mission says we serve those who are most in need. We don’t
really provide religious services. We provide Social Services,” said
Father John. “We are faith-based in the sense that our mission
is based on the principles of Catholic Social Teaching and we are
affiliated with the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. This
does not mean that we proselytize others or overtly display our spiritual
and religious beliefs in all of our services. If clients do ask for
spiritual guidance, we respond and we have a pastoral care program
that does that. With respect to the government’s faith based
initiative, we have seen very little impact from that initiative.
We have always received government funds to help support our services
and we anticipate continuing to do so.” (Ron Krietemeyer, Director
for Mission Integration, Catholic Charities, Minneapolis/St. Paul).
I wondered how Catholic Charities would meet the accommodation
needs of people in the midst of dwindling governmental financial
support. “The cost of the reasonable accommodation would
be a factor in the choice of the accommodation,” said Father
John. “There have been cuts at every level…the federal
level, state level and county level.” We deliver most of
our services through counties. So if somebody with a disability
needed some form of accommodation, then it appears the county would
assign a person to work with that disabled homeless person. Father
John told me that few blind people and people who use wheelchairs
seek shelter in any of the housing programs administered by Catholic
Charities. If a homeless blind person or a homeless person in a
wheelchair request shelter at a Catholic Charities designated shelter,
that person would be referred to the county which is in a better
position to find them housing and services that accommodate their
needs. Most of the people who receive services through Catholic
Charities are people with a wide range of mental health issues.
It may seem obvious
that a decision for accommodation will be made by or for a disabled
homeless person or a disabled employee. And when such a decision
is made, it is based on who needs the accommodation. That individual’s
decision is based on the availability of finances, resources and
his or her knowledge of an appropriate accommodation to fit a particular
need. But a disability can change over time. And the type of medication
somebody takes can also change over time. Both of these factors
need to be added to the changes in financial resources, changes
in adaptive equipment for a wide range of disabilities, as well
as changes in staff and staff support.
The person who needs the support may not have read nor had the
time to read everything pertinent to his or her disability. Some
disabled shelter residents may not be fully aware of his or her
rights and need for such accommodation. Some shelter residents
work even though they may not have a permanent residence. In order
to get from one place to the next, most of us use the Metropolitan
bus service. It is realistic to believe any loss in bus service,
temporary or long term, will have a profound effect on those of
us who are disabled or who are disabled and homeless. Our elected
officials do not always demonstrate the sensitivity and/or awareness
of the value behind public transportation. For example, in 2004,
Governor Pawlenty stated the only people who use buses are poor
people and the disabled. So if another strike occurs, then homeless
people who don’t have a license or employed disabled people
who don’t drive would have to walk a potentially long distance,
regardless of the extreme heat or cold for the duration of such
a Metropolitan wide transportation strike.
Catholic Charities does
not keep track of homeless people, disabled or otherwise, once
that person is no longer on campus. “When our clients leave
our program sites, they are no longer our responsibility. In the
same way that a person who leaves a hardware store or a public
building is no longer the responsibility of the site, so too, when
our clients step outside on the sidewalk, they are no longer our
responsibility. Nor do we have the staff to assist clients outside
of our program sites.” (Ron Krietemeyer, Director for Mission
Integration, Catholic Charities, Minneapolis/St. Paul).
Tracy Bergland, Catholic Charities Housing Administrator for Minneapolis
and Saint Paul, sent me the following details which illustrate some
of the ways the budget is spread around.
There are approximately 500 shelter beds:
• Secure Waiting
in Minneapolis services 251 men,
• Dorothy Day Center
(DDC) in St. Paul serves anywhere from 150 - 220 men and women,
• Mary Hall has
20 shelter beds for men, the Family Service Center has 55 beds
for families and single women and Hope Street Shelter has 17 beds
for youth.
In addition we have 600 units of housing. In Minneapolis there are
four housing programs:
• Residential Structured
Housing has 49 transitional units for homeless singles who have
mental health and chemical dependency issues.
• The Evergreen:
88 units of permanent supportive housing for homeless men and women.
• Exodus Hotel:
93 transitional units for homeless men and women.
• The Glenwood:
80 units of permanent housing for men who are chronic alcoholics.
In St. Paul:
Mary Hall provides 155 units
of housing for single adults. There are three different programs
within the building. A 40 bed transitional program serves the severely
mentally ill who are discharged from inpatient programs, or who may
be staying at the Dorothy Day Extended Hours Program. We have another
40 unit transitional program for homeless men and women who are
low-income and may have mental health and chemical dependency issues.
• The Single Room
Occupancy Program provides 75 units of permanent housing for single
adults.
• St. Anthony provides
55 units of permanent housing for chronic alcoholic men.
• St. Christopher
Place provides 70 units of permanent housing for low-income men
and women.
• Visitation Place
provides 15 units of permanent housing to low-income families.
If you know of somebody who is disabled, homeless and who is looking
for shelter, contact one of the resources stated below. Volunteers
are also needed to assist with these programs.
Resources
Catholic Charities,
612-664-8500, 1200 Second Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55403
Hennepin County Human Services, Century Plaza, 330 South 12th Street.
Call 612-596-1300 between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm, or call 612-348-3007.
Leave your name, Social Security number, case number, and somebody
will call you back.
StreetWorks, 2222 Park Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55404, Street-based
outreach to homeless youth, 612-252-2735.
Wesley United Methodist
Church, 612-871-3585. Wesley United Methodist Church provides
a Saturday Meals program. There are a variety of Twelve-step programs
throughout the week. The address is 101 E Grant St, Minneapolis,
MN 55403. Wesley Church is next to the Minneapolis Convention Center.
