Conference News and Notes
for Wednesday, June 8, 2022
Sent to all Vincentians & Staff
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Vincentian Reflection for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
Sunday, June 12, 2022
Gospel: (John 16: 12-15) Jesus said to his disciples: “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.”
Reflection: As difficult as it is to grasp the mystery of Trinity, it is even more difficult to grasp that God loves us enough to share divine life and glory with us. Living the paschal mystery means that we are faithful witnesses to the God within. Sometimes rather than witnessing through doing good works, we need to witness simply by appreciating ourselves and others for the wonderful gift of God’s presence that we are. The readings this week challenge us to become more deeply aware of God’s presence in creation, in Jesus and in ourselves. Then allow that awareness to overflow in thanksgiving and praise that gives God glory. (Living Liturgy, p.146)
Vincentian Meditation: Gratitude is a good barometer of our spiritual condition. If you find that you are giving thanks to God frequently in your prayer, for big things and small; if you find yourself showing gratitude to others, your spiritual life is probably in a healthy condition. To give thanks is a sign of humility. If we are humble, we will certainly be in God’s favor and His love, and the most valuable gift we can offer to the poor, will be in our hearts. If we have a grateful heart, we will see everything as gifts of God. May God give us the grace to be grateful for everything He has given us and to show that gratitude by generosity to others and to the poor. (McCullen, Deep Down Things, p. 203)
What fills you with gratitude?
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Your Formation and Training Opportunities & Tips
The Poverty Simulation scheduled for this coming Saturday, 6/11, 9-11am, is cancelled due to low registration. We are looking forward to offering it again in the fall on Wednesday, 9/7/2022, 6-8pm. A notice will go out later in the summer.
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Formation Tips for your Toolbelt: Vincentians & Conferences are re-engaging in Home Visits at their own prayerfully discerned pace. We are appropriately reconsidering how to best meet and serve our neighbors as our COVID reality evolves. Virtual meetings have been helpful, and they still have a potential place in our work, but could they ever replace that physical moment of connecting with someone? If you are concerned about safety, privacy, or the dignity of the person in some way it may be helpful to suggest meeting outside or in a place near where the neighbor lives, so they are still able to physically encounter Christ in your presence...and you in theirs. If a location makes you feel too unsafe, or where the neighbor’s dignity/privacy may not be respected well, it is acceptable to suggest an alternative spot. Ultimately, our goal is to engage in a setting that is mutually comfortable...for it is in this setting that our neighbor may come to see their true strength in the light of Christ for the journey ahead.
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Please Join Us on
Wednesday evening, June 15th - just 1 week from today
RSVP deadline is this Friday, 6/10, 3pm!
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Please RSVP now to reserve your place and enable us to make proper advance accommodations - RSVP deadline is this Fri, 6/10, 3pm, so we can finalize catering; RSVP by contacting Olivia Scheper at oscheper@svdpcincinnati.org or 513.345.4986
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Traditionally known as our Summer Meeting - always with an emphasis on bringing Vincentians together to celebrate summer with friendship, food, & fun
- Hosted this year @ St Matthias in Forest Park, a home of Our Lady of the Rosary/St Matthias joint Conference; this shelter offers fresh air and a roof over our heads
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All Cincinnati District Council Vincentians invited; no charge
- Come with fellow Conference members, prepared to enjoy existing and add new friendships...a great opportunity to connect with others in your Family of Parishes
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Our 2022 Vincentian Member Survey is Live!
Your Vincentian experience and aspirations matter to us. Please invest a few (5-10?) minutes to share your perspective in this survey which was developed with your fellow Vincentian members of our Conference Life Committee. We encourage you to participate on-line, via SurveyMonkey, which can be accessed right now by simply clicking on this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RFJW3SN . Alternatively, your Conference may make on-line access available at your upcoming Conference meeting. If you prefer to participate by completing the survey on paper, you can find a printable version by clicking on this link:
Completed written surveys can be submitted by mailing to:
St Vincent de Paul - 2022 Vincentian Member Survey
1125 Bank St
Cincinnati, OH 45214
Attn: Olivia Scheper, Conferences Support Coordinator
32 Vincentians have participated via SurveyMonkey in this first week!
This survey will remain open until Thurs, 6/30/2022.
We will summarize and analyze the responses submitted; share key take-aways; and utilize this info to determine actions to better serve you.
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Vincentians Bill and Maureen Coleman Deepen Their Vincentian Experience by Serving in our NOC Welcome Rooms |
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We are grateful for the Vincentians who have chosen to share their gifts by serving at the Neyer Outreach Center. Bill and Maureen Coleman, Vincentians from our Bellarmine Conference, have been faithful volunteers in our Welcome Rooms. Bill shares their experience below:
“After volunteering in the pantry, we were interested in this opportunity to have more engagement with neighbors. We volunteer one morning a week and work as a couple in one of the rooms. The experience is similar to a condensed “home visit,” wherein we meet with each neighbor to understand their specific needs. In many cases we can provide an immediate response; in others we take information to submit their application for rent, utilities, beds, etc. Where the situation warrants due to its immediacy or complexity, a staff member is readily available to join us. With the array of resources offered at the NOC we are able to address the needs of most of the neighbors we see, as well as refer them to appropriate community agencies. As with home visits, we are graced to be the “face of Christ” to our neighbors and we are blessed by their faith, their resolve, and their graciousness. We leave every day simply “amazed” at some of the people we meet. We have learned so much, and we have been impressed with the dedication, knowledge and hearts of the NOC staff. We encourage other Vincentians to consider spending time serving in the Welcome Rooms.”
We would love to see more Vincentians in our Welcome Rooms; your experience serving our neighbors is invaluable. Please consider joining us for this amazing opportunity to serve our neighbors.
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Catino Choice Food Pantry Volunteers Needed
Are you looking for an additional way to live out your Vincentian calling? Our Catino Choice Food Pantry (Neyer Outreach Center, 1146 Bank St) has seen rising numbers of neighbors accessing our pantry over the last few months and we’re in need of additional volunteer support to meet the demand. We have a particular need for volunteers who can help in the morning (8am-11:30am) and in late afternoon (2-4pm). Come by yourself, with your spouse, or with a small group from your Conference.
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Rusty Curington, Director of our Charitable Pharmacy, Earns Recognition
Congratulations to Rusty Curington, who was named a 2022 Health Care Hero by the Cincinnati Business Courier! Rusty was honored during a gala last Thursday and was recognized in the manager category for his leadership of our SVDP Charitable Pharmacy. You can read the article about Rusty published by the Business Courier here.
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Archdiocese of Cincinnati Beacons of Light Initiative
- We will have 24 Families of Parishes in Hamilton County. 23 of the 24 Families have at least 1 active SVDP Conference currently. We have active Conferences present in 56 of the 74 current Hamilton County parishes. Of the 18 current parishes without a Conference, 16 of those parishes are in Families with at least 1 active Conference. How can we introduce and invite more Hamilton County Catholics to this gift of our Vincentian vocation?
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Beacons of Light will be implemented by our Archdiocese on 7/1, now less than 1 month away. How are you preparing for opportunities in your Family of Parishes?
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Our Archdiocese continues to post fresh content at BeaconsAOC.org .
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Our Archdiocese hosts monthly Beacons Roundtable Zoom gatherings on Tuesdays, 1:30-3pm. These gatherings are attracting priests, deacons, parish leaders, and passionate parishioners from throughout our Archdiocese. The final Phase 0 - Warm-Up gathering of this initiative will be 6/21, entitled Love in Action. This will transition us from Phase 0 into Phase 1 - Leadership - which begins 7/1.
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The Heat is On... and Our Summer Heat Relief Program is in Full Swing
Our AC request form is available for our neighbors to complete a request at https://SVDPcincinnati.org/AC . Vincentians are welcome to complete a request on behalf of a neighbor. Vincentians can also arrange to pick-up (@ our NOC, M-F, 9am-3pm) & deliver an AC for mobility-challenged neighbors who have been notified their request has been approved.
We are currently distributing fans on a walk-in basis at our NOC. Neighbors can request & receive a fan during our normal operating hours.
To-date, we have distributed 646 fans & 187 air conditioners - that's a whole lot of cool(er) neighbors!
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Referring Neighbors for our Council's
Centrally Administered Assistance Programs
At this point in time, we have fully extended all (City of Cincinnati) EPI and (Hamilton County) TANF funding made available to us. We are, for now, not extending assistance from either program.
Availability of assistance through publicly-funded programs is fluid. We will continue to pass along new developments so you can manage expectations accordingly.
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CMS Tips & Tricks
John Wessel, our Resource Analyst, has created a series of over 30 easily viewed and absorbed videos that are available to you 24/7 on our CMS Support Page, https://www.svdpcincinnati.org/cms-support-page/. Password, if you are prompted: member .
CMS helps you better engage and lift your neighbors. And it will help us better attract & deploy resources to assist these same neighbors experiencing need.
Our latest progress: St Gertrude implemented 6/1 and our Lady of Victory will implement 7/1...at least 7 more Conferences are in our pipeline toward implementation...and further enhancements of CMS are on the way!
Join fellow Vincentians & Conferences and make this leap forward - for our neighbors and fellow Vincentians - now!
Whether you are a current CMS user - or soon to be one - Help sessions are available! Please contact John at jwessel@SVDPcincinnati.org, or by phone at 513.562.1823 to schedule a group or individual session.
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Your Conferences Support Team - Who Does What
Please note additions/changes in red, with further progress & evolution anticipated:
CAF applications & assistance; thrift store voucher forms & stickers; Christ Church Plumb Line; Vincentian recruiting displays & brochures; Conference Locator Map; changes to Conference members roster; volunteering in Conferences Support
Quarterly reports; questions about referrals for neighbors; our SVDP-Cinn’s Members webpage content; Conference officers training; training workshops; Metro bus passes under Everybody Rides Metro program
Tom Roberts, Director of Conferences, troberts@svdpcincinnati.org , 513.345.4910 Beacons of Light, Families of Parishes; Conference strategic or leadership matters; weekly Conference News and Notes; support team members visiting Conference meetings; Council events; twinning & CAF contributions; Conference Life Committee; facilitating support for your Conference beyond our Conferences Support team
Our team is here to serve you.
Please also note that each Family of Parishes, and the current Conferences within the respective Family of Parishes, now have a designated primary contact point-person, which is either Sunnie Johnson-Lain, Senior Director of Services, or 1 of the 3 Conference Support team members listed above. Our Conference Presidents have received a reference document identifying these relationships.
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More Resources for our Conferences and Neighbors
Conference Assistance Fund (CAF)
We, together, extended $502,123 in total FY2022 CAF assistance for the 8 months ended 5/31/2022.
Our final May activity:
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You submitted 167 applications
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We approved 159 applications for a total of $70,272 in assistance extended; 4 were declined as ineligible or more appropriately referred; 2 were withdrawn
Our June activity (through Tues, 6/7/2022):
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You've submitted 58 applications (in the 1st week!)
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We've approved 27 applications
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We currently have 51 applications in progress toward approval
March & May were particularly active, and June has started with a bang. We have received authorization to extend up to $60,000 in CAF assistance per month until our 9/30 FY2022 year end. We were granted special authorization to extend to $70,000 for just the month of May - and we fully extended this increased amount.
Please take note: As shared with all Conference Presidents in April, and revisited during our Conference Presidents Meeting, a Conference must be utilizing CMS to access CAF assistance effective our 10/1/2022 start to FY2023. While there are multiple reasons for this step forward, one of the most exciting is that we are actively seeking to fully integrate our CAF process - from application to assistance extended - within our CMS tool. This should deliver better visibility and efficacy for all.
We offer thanks to those Conferences & their donors who have recently twinned through CAF, to our Conferences & Vincentians who are submitting quality applications, to our volunteers who are processing these applications so promptly, and to Olivia & Alec. We encourage you to fully consider our neighbor's situation and other resources - including community partners & programs and your Conference's own funds - which could be deployed as you discern a request for CAF assistance. This is particularly applicable to neighbor situations where the total $ required exceeds the sum of the assistance you can assemble - and please remember there are other programs available in our community which have provisions for much higher assistance caps. If you are contemplating extending CAF assistance as a more-immediate bridge due to extended turnaround times for other publicly-funded community programs, please make sure our neighbor is in the queue for these other programs to which they should be eligible. Advocate for & with our neighbor to seek these community resources!
Metro Bus Passes (Everybody Rides Metro)
Your Conference has access to Metro bus passes to be extended to neighbors for use for any of 3 defined purposes:
- Commute to/from new employment
- Commute to/from our Bank St services hub or other community social services
- Commute to/from medical appointments
Please understand that these passes are sourced through the Everybody Rides Metro program and our Council is required to comply with the above-referenced usages and submit detailed reports of passes distributed. Please also understand that your Conference will need to record bus passes extended in CMS for the neighbors receiving this assistance. If your Conference wants to learn more about the specifics of this program or request passes, please contact Alec Jewell, Conferences Manager, at ajewell@svdpcincinnati.org , or 513.345.4983.
Our Charitable Pharmacy is Still Providing COVID Vaccinations
The CDC has recently released new guidance on boosters for those most susceptible to severe COVID complications. We have the Pfizer vaccine. Want more info? Our Charitable Pharmacy staff is available to answer any questions. You can contact Dr. Rusty Curington at rcurington@svdpcincinnati.org and a Pharmacy team member will respond.
Our Re-Entry Program
Our Re-Entry Program Manager, Dion Crockett, is eager to work with you to assist neighbors you are serving who have been affected by the criminal justice system. If you would like to host Dion at a Conference meeting, get together with him in another way, or discuss a particular situation, Dion can be reached at 513.562.8851 or dcrockett@svdpcincinnati.org .
Rahe Beds Fund & Program
If your Conference is considering purchasing beds to extend as assistance, you can get info, including current pricing, or purchase by contacting Dave Chidlow, Stores Retail Resource Manager, at dchidlow@svdpcincinnati.org or 513.853.1002. Your purchased beds will be picked up at our CHRC within our Liz Carter Center. Please be aware that our beds cost and resale pricing have risen significantly.
We still have a limited number of cribs & pack ‘n’ plays available for neighbors with children too young for beds (under age two). These do not count against the limit of two Rahe beds per household per lifetime. If you have a neighbor who is in need of a crib or pack ‘n’ play, please contact Gabby at rahebedfund@svdpcincinnati.org. We will provide the neighbor with a voucher that can be redeemed at our CHRC.
Do you have questions about our Rahe Beds Fund & Program?
Please click on this link Bed Program Conference Guide to review our most current information, which includes some updates to the way beds assistance should be entered in CMS.
SafeParish Training
St. Vincent de Paul takes seriously the safety of the children and vulnerable adults who we serve in our ministry. As a Catholic lay organization, we are required to adhere to Safeguarding standards that are consistent with those of our Archdiocese. If you engage with anyone under the age of 18 or with vulnerable adults as part of your work with SVDP, or if you have questions about whether you should complete this training, please reach out to Alec Jewell at ajewell@svdpcincinnati.org for more information on Safeguarding or to register for SafeParish training/background checks. We appreciate your efforts to ensure a safe environment for the neighbors who we serve.
Cooking Improv with La Soupe
Our partner La Soupe teams with our Catino Choice Pantry to present monthly Cooking Improv demonstrations in the Teaching Kitchen at our NOC. Instructors from La Soupe engage participants on basic cooking principles and how to use what you have to create delicious, nutritious meals. All recipes are based off ingredients found daily in our Catino Choice Pantry. The demonstrations are on the first Wednesday of every month, 11am-1pm. Neighbors are encouraged to sample the delicious dishes and discuss preparation and ingredients with our staff, volunteers, and resident La Soupe instructor Chef Mona!
The next event is Wednesday, 7/6. No pre-registration is required. Feel free to share this information with your neighbors, or if you’re interested in getting involved in our Teaching Kitchen programming, please reach out to Demi Schoenherr at dschoenherr@svdpcincinnati.org for more information.
Education Center Within Our Neyer Outreach Center
Our NOC Education Center is available for neighbors to use during our operating hours: Monday - Friday, 8am - 4pm, and Saturday, 8am - noon.
Christ Church Plumb Line
Olivia Scheper, Conferences Support Coordinator, is our central contact point-person. Plumb Line only accepts assistance referrals from this single SVDP point-person.
As a reminder, Plumb Line can assist with $400 of past due rent for neighbors who are currently working.
All referrals to Plumb Line should be sent to:
Olivia Scheper
Phone: 513.345.4986, ext 239
Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW)
GCWW's Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) Program provides funds for assistance for eligible tenants residing in the City of Cincinnati. There are eligibility stipulations. Tenants must qualify by completing an online application at assistance.mygcww.org .
Renters can also call 513.591.7700 to receive assistance from the call center to complete an application. There is also a flexible payment plan through the PromisePay Portal. GCWW customers can visit GCWW.promise-pay.com for details about the program and how to enroll. Renters not residing in Cincinnati city limits but living in Hamilton County can visit https://erap.hcjfs.org/ for utility assistance. If you need additional materials or information, please contact GCWW at GCWWCares@gcww.cincinnati-oh.gov .
Duke Energy
For questions on accounts or pledges for neighbors requesting utility assistance, please contact Duke Energy's Centralized Agency Team at 800.241.3194. Advocates are currently available Monday through Friday, 7:30am - 5:30pm.
Additional info on public assistance resources can be found at energyhelp.ohio.gov
State of Ohio Program for Struggling Homeowners
Save the Dream Ohio helps eligible Ohio homeowners facing foreclosure and/or who cannot afford to pay their mortgage payments, utility payments or other related housing costs as a result of economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The state of Ohio was awarded $280 million from the U.S. Department of Treasury through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for the program. Click here for more information:
City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County COVID Assistance
There is still a substantial sum of COVID federal economic recovery & relief emergency funding available in our area. If you encounter a neighbor who has experienced financial hardship due to COVID, please refer them to https://513relief.org .
Cincinnati Eye Institute Foundation (CEIF) Vision Clinic in our Neyer Outreach Center
The Vision Clinic operates by appointment on certain Thursdays as designated by CEIF. Our Vision Clinic is open, 8:30am - 3pm, tomorrow and each of the remaining Thursdays in June. A limited number of walk-in exams can also be accommodated. To schedule an appointment, or to inquire for additional info, please call 513.207.6140.
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Call to Prayer
O Holy Trinity, truly you are a God of mystery,
give us hearts filled with reverence for You.
Truly you are a God of majesty,
give us hearts filled with humility before You.
Truly you are a God of presence,
give us hearts filled with awe.
Truly you are a God of creative power,
give us hearts filled with gratitude.
Amen.
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