Conference News and Notes
for Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Sent to all Vincentians & Staff
Vincentian Reflection for the Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 22, 2022

Gospel: (John 14:23-29) Jesus said to his disciples: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him…I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.”

Reflection: The only way God dwells among us is to let go of ourselves and hand ourselves over to Jesus. On our own we would not be able to succeed; the good news is that we are not alone, but God dwells within us and gives us all we need to be faithful. These Sundays before Pentecost remind us that as disciples, we never have to feel like the whole task of living the gospel falls on our shoulders alone. God is always present, dwelling within us, to give us the strength we need to be faithful to Jesus’ commands. Only in this way can our everyday lives be fruitful. (Living Liturgy, p.128)

Vincentian Meditation: St. Vincent was interested in feeding the hungry, visiting the prisoners, caring for the sick, educating the poor. But he was also intensely interested in helping people, particularly the poor, to be reconciled with God, to cherish their faith, and to be loyal to the Church. In one word, St. Vincent was interested not only in the bodies of the poor, but in their souls also. There are some people who are only interested in improving the material conditions of the poor. That is important, certainly, but that is only half the work. Every poor person has a soul. Every poor person has a responsibility to save his soul. Every poor person has need of help in that task. It was St. Vincent’s great achievement that he worked to save both the bodies and souls of the poor. He worked to save the whole person. (McCullen, Deep Down Things, p. 255)

How are we serving both "the body and the soul" of our neighbors and fellow Vincentians?
How can we better serve "the body and the soul” of those who are experiencing poverty?
Your Formation & Training Opportunities

Poverty Simulation is coming up on Sat, 6/11, 9-11am, at our Ozanam Center (Liz Carter Center, 1125 Bank Street, with the gated parking lot). This actively contemplative workshop will help you see the life of our neighbors in a new way while sharing reflections on your experiences with fellow Vincentians. Perhaps it may even be an opportunity to bring some of your parish family Vincentians together. Advanced participant registration is greatly appreciated. To register, please email Formation@svdpcincinnati.org or through the signup genius link. 
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Financial Literacy Zoom Sessions are being offered to anyone interested. The course/session is held each Thursday via Zoom, 1-2pm, and is designed as a one-time, introductory session to help neighbors, Vincentians, or anyone interested in developing basic financial literacy habits and plans. These sessions are not personal financial sessions; rather they are a general overview of skills, tips, and habits to develop to build a foundation for financial planning. For those interested, please see the website which contains a signup genius link as well.
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Our Council's Formation Committee meets next Thurs, 5/26, 10:30-noon, in our Neyer Outreach Center (NOC) Community Room.
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Chris Kelley, our Formation and Service Learning Director, can be reached at 513.345.1767 or ckelley@svdpcincinnati.org .
Our Annual Conference Presidents Meeting
was this past Saturday, 5/14, @ Guardian Angels

Many thanks to Guardian Angels Conference (led by Judy & Steve Fagel) for gracious hospitality and to all who gathered & shared on such a beautiful Sat morning.
52 participants - representing 43 Conferences (including St John the Evangelist - West Chester of Hamilton District) and our Little Flower Food Pantry Special Works - engaged in fruitful dialogue. We will be sending out Minutes later this week. We encourage our presidents and designated attendees to share their take-aways within your Conference circles. At the conclusion of this meeting, we distributed our Council's FY2021 annual reports and coasters to be shared with your Family of Parishes' Pastor and parochial vicars, as well as Vincentian badges which can be worn on home visits and to parish events for greater identification and visibility. If your Conference was not represented at this meeting, please reach out to Olivia Scheper, Conferences Support Coordinator, at oscheper@svdpcincinnati.org or 513.345.4986 to arrange to receive these items.
You're Invited!
Wednesday evening, June 15th
  • 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
  • All Cincinnati District Council Vincentians invited; no charge (donations welcome)
  • Come with fellow Conference members, prepared to enjoy existing and add new friendships...great opportunity to connect with others in your Family of Parishes
  • Please RSVP now to reserve your place and enable us to make proper advance accommodations; RSVP by contacting Olivia Scheper at oscheper@svdpcincinnati.org or 513.345.4986
Coming Soon - 2022 Vincentian Member Survey

As highlighted at our Conference Presidents Meeting, we will be rolling out a member survey next week so you can share your Vincentian experience and aspirations. Please watch this space for more info, including a link for those who would like to submit their input on-line via SurveyMonkey. We value your perspective and your time, so we will make your participation easy peasy.
Your Conferences Support Team - Who Does What

As of today, with further progress & evolution anticipated:
Olivia Scheper, Conferences Support Coordinator, oscheper@svdpcincinnati.org , 513.345.4986
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
Alec Jewell, Conferences Manager, ajewell@svdpcincinnati.org , 513.345.4983
Quarterly reports; questions about referrals for neighbors; our SVDP-Cinn’s Members webpage content; Conference officers training; training workshops
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.
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. Sure sounds like an opportunity to welcome more Hamilton County Catholics to the gift of our Vincentian vocation!
  • Beacons of Light will be implemented by our Archdiocese on 7/1, < 45 days away. How are you preparing for opportunities in your Family of Parishes?
  • Our Archdiocese continues to post fresh content at BeaconsAOC.org .
  • 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 May gathering entitled Evangelization, The Pathway Program, was yesterday. The final Phase 0 - Warm-Up gathering of this initiative will be 6/21. In this Phase 0, we are encouraged to pray, learn, and prepare. Phase 1 - Leadership - begins 7/1.
No Sweat - Our Summer Heat Relief Program Has Begun
 
Our AC request form is now live! Please direct neighbors to https://SVDPcincinnati.org/AC to complete a request. Vincentians are welcome to complete a request on behalf of a neighbor.
We are also currently distributing fans on a walk-in basis at our Neyer Outreach Center (NOC). Neighbors can request & receive a fan during our normal operating hours.
For more information, including eligibility, please use this link to review the program description https://www.svdpcincinnati.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Summer-Heat-Relief-2022.pdf or find this explanation on the Member Support & Forms page of our website under the heading “2022 Summer Heat Relief Plan.”
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.
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.
What's new: 2 more Conferences - Our Lady of Victory & St Gertrude - have shared intentions to implement CMS effective 6/1/2022...and further enhancements of CMS are on the way!
Special thanks to Aggie Brackmann of St Catharine of Siena Conference for sharing an affirming testimonial of their positive CMS experience during our Conference Presidents Meeting.
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.
More Resources for our Conferences and Neighbors

Conference Assistance Fund (CAF)
We, together, extended $431,850 in total FY2022 CAF assistance for the 7 months ended 4/30/2022.
Our May activity (through Tues, 5/17):
  • You've submitted 85 applications
  • We've approved 77 applications; 3 have been declined as ineligible or more appropriately referred
  • We currently have 22 applications in progress toward approval
We have received authorization to extend up to $60,000 in CAF assistance per month until our 9/30 FY2022 year end.
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.
Repeating CAF point of clarity: While our CAF is intended to extend rent, utilities, and some other qualified forms of financial assistance, New Life Furniture Bank (NLFB) referral fees are not qualified for our CAF. Our Council has paid our NLFB 2022 membership fee. Your Conference will need to absorb the NLFB referral fee from your Conference's own funds when you extend such assistance..
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 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!

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. Dion highlighted his program's focus and resources during our Conference Presidents Meeting. 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
May bed requests have been processed and are in the mail. If you have any questions, please contact Gabby at rahebedfund@svdpcincinnati.org.
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 beds pricing has risen.
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. The demonstrations are on the first Wednesday of every month, 11am-1pm. The demos last 15-20 minutes and repeat continuously during this time frame. Each demonstration is limited to seven participants. The interaction is uplifting and the food is delicious.
The next event is Wednesday, June 1. 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. The funds will pay GCWW water, sewer, and stormwater charges. Any accrued charges during March 2020 (the start of the pandemic) or after are eligible to be paid with these funds.
Tenants must qualify by completing an online application at assistance.mygcww.org  and certifying that their household income is at or below 80% of Area Median Income (AMI). Renters can also call 513.591.7700 to receive assistance from the call center to complete an application. If eligible neighbors have balances prior to March 2020, those charges will not be paid with these funds. However, neighbors can enroll in 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. Customers who have paid their accounts and/or have an active payment plan on their GCWW account(s) and keep up with their current charges will be removed from the delinquency/shutoff process.
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 .
GCWW announced that they would resume shutoffs and tacking on late fees effective Mon, 5/2. Please encourage our neighbors with past-due balances to proactively address their obligation before they incur more charges and face a disruption of service.

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.
Seasonal developments:
  • The Winter Reconnect Order went into effect on 10/18/2021 and expired 4/15/2022. Duke is yet to resume shutoffs, but we should expect that day is coming. Please encourage our neighbors with past-due balances to proactively address their obligation before they face a disruption of service.  
  • Find more info at energyhelp.ohio.gov

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 May & 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.
Call to Prayer

That we may always be your faithful disciples,
Lord, send us your Spirit.
That we may serve the whole person of the poor,
Lord, send us your Spirit.
That we may be open to receive your Advocate,
Lord, send us your Spirit.
That we may know that God is always present, dwelling within us,
Lord, send us your Spirit.
Amen.