We are proud to announce that the National Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in the United States has awarded us a grant of $10,000 dollars through its Systemic Change Grant Program.   

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is well known in communities for their direct work in alleviating immediate needs such as food and rent.  In fact, in 2019, St. Mary’s parish in Delaware gave a total of $78,066 that was spent on rent and utility assistance as well as car repair, medical expenses, food, and funeral expenses.

It is not as widely known however, that programs that target root causes of poverty are also a core value of the Society.  The awards committee felt that we had a compelling program with a long-range vision to move men back into the community by offering a safe place to live in conjunction with programs that helped break the poverty cycle and restore them as self-sufficient members of the community.  It was also important to them that we were collaborating with  other community-based organizations with similar aims.

These funds will be a big help in getting this program firmly launched. We are very grateful for their support. 

      In June of 2015, the St. John Neumann (SJN) chapter of SVdP started a ministry at the Delaware County Jail (DCJ).  Many of the inmates we serve are first time offenders; others are dealing with addiction issues. Both situations are vital for faith-based initiatives.  We quickly learned the depth of need that inmates required from our spiritual resources.

     Our main message to the inmates is to remember two basic things:

             1. We are all no more than saved sinners.  

             2. No one needs to be defined by their time in jail. 

     This starting point is our communion with the inmates.

Over the past two years, a group of committed members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul at St. Mary's in Delaware, OH and St. John Neumann in Sunbury OH, had a dream. As they helped men returning from jail or prison in Delaware County, they struggled finding them housing upon their release. This group of committed Vincentians (what we call members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul), would often have to call other shelters in Newark, Columbus, or Dayton to see if shelter was available. Often, it wasn't.