Mike Boos, director of Paz de Cristo, said his organization has had to cut back the amount of food they place in each food box.
"We’ve got to do more with less," he said. "It’s hard especially when you look at the faces of the people and they’re saying, ‘How come?’ Well, we just don’t have it."
Doing more with less
Tricia Hoyt, director of the Office of Peace and Justice at Catholic Charities, said the troubling times have forced charitable organizations to get creative.
She’s starting an "Out of Poverty" initiative that utilizes what she calls "circles of support." Basically, a family stuck in poverty will have six to eight people in their circle helping them for a one-and-a-half to two-year commitment.
"They would be dedicating themselves to help that family form their dream plan and then would dedicate themselves to brokering the resources toward that family that will help them get there," she said.
These circles of support aren’t meant to assist families in crisis right now, Hoyt said. There will always be a need for somebody to write a check that can get a family out of an immediate emergency. Rather, it’s a long-term plan to help families on the edge climb out of poverty, hopefully for good.
For instance, a member of a circle might be able to help a family member apply for a community college course that would yield a higher paying job. Or, a circle member might be able to help a member of the working poor find reliable transportation to a job.
The plan realizes that in the charitable giving axiom of "time, talent and treasure," the treasure chest is at an all time low. But that doesn’t mean people can’t still help with their time or their talent.
Hoyt hopes the program will help build stable communities, where individuals can help each other out with their skills and time. Sometimes, even just listening to families can make a huge difference.
(Story continues below)
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Egan said his regional center has seen a large increase in crisis counseling appointments from couples who need someone to listen to them. The fact is that when money gets very tight, a strain is put on marital and family relationships that can be difficult to overcome.
"We’re trying to make all of our counselors available," he said. "We’ve reduced a lot of fees so to make sure people can be seen. We’re doing a lot of pro bono work."
His region is also on track to resettle nearly two times as many refugees as last year, although that task has become slightly easier with the softening rental and housing market.
And even though the charitable organizations have to help more people with fewer resources, they all said they’re not going away any time soon.
Printed with permission from the Catholic Sun, newspaper from the Diocese of Phoenix, Arizona.