St. Vincent de Paul group offers lifeline to needy

Human Needs Office helps those facing financial hardship, setback

The phone in the Human Needs Office of St. Vincent de Paul rings incessantly and is answered by volunteers who offer a lifeline of compassion, a prayer for strength through adversity and much-needed financial assistance.

Alice Sturm, Rose Dickson and Sandy Lear are Catholic women who put their faith into action to help the less fortunate, following the spirituality of St. Vincent de Paul, which centers around spiritual formation and growth through person-to-person service to the poor and needy.

"It can be difficult and challenging," Sturm said. "You get discouraged but it's a beautiful thing. We're not just giving over money. You talk to them and you pray with them."

Many times, aid recipients sob in relief when told help is available and when the volunteer reads them a prayer at the end of a call.

The volunteerism is "a calling," Sturm said, based on the Biblical call to help the less fortunate and in doing so, encounter Christ.

The volunteers said they think about the people in need throughout their day and pray for them while at Mass and in private prayer.

An international Catholic lay ministry organization, members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul have helped the poor in Blair County since 1982. Its more well-known services are its family kitchens and food pantries. The society also has outreach efforts in Cambria, Centre and Huntingdon counties, including a Human Needs Office in Johnstown.

Established six years ago, the Altoona Human Needs Office, located above the thrift store at 1215 Seventh Ave., has six volunteers to help individuals and families who face a financial hardship or setback. To work in the Human Needs Office, the volunteers must be Catholic, receive training and uphold the mission and values of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. The mission statement is: "A network of friends, inspired by Gospel values, growing in holiness and building a more just world through personal relationships with and service to people in need," according to its website.

The volunteers take calls, set up visits, corroborate the need request and coordinate payments, Sturm said. Sturm has been a Vincentian for 13 years and is president of the St. Therese of the Child Jesus Conference. She has worked in the Human Needs Office for 2.5 years.

The Human Needs Office is returning to meeting face-to-face with "neighbors" -- what they call the people who request help -- now that the COVID-19 pandemic has eased. Previously, two Vincentians would visit a neighbor in the home setting. The society is re-examining its processes to return back to a more face-to-face model, said Sonny Consiglio, executive director of the local St. Vincent de Paul Society, after the pandemic forced interactions to be by phone. A combination of home visits and in-person meetings at the office are being discussed.

Lear, president of the Altoona District Council, participated in home visits prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"They are a very good experience. Most people were very kind and helpful and willing to accept whatever amount we could give them," Lear said. "Sometimes they call about help with an electric bill and we go and meet them and realize they need additional help, such as fixing up the house. It's a way to see what else they need."

The Altoona Human Needs Office helps individuals and families who face a financial hardship or setback, such as help to cover unpaid back rent to ward off an eviction payment on a utility bill to avoid services being shut off, unexpected car repair bills and others. The office has even helped with funeral expenses for a family and helps residents displaced by a fire, Sturm said. Its income guidelines are "more generous" than other organizations at 125% of the poverty level.

"There has been a considerable uptick in those who need help to get through unfortunate circumstances," Consiglio said. "It's not easy to go ask for help to pay rent, a water bill or an electric bill. We easily get more than 100 calls a week."

In 2023, Sturm said an average of 110 people in 55 households received help in February. "We help in any way we can," said Lear, who started putting her faith into action by volunteering in the thrift store.

The volunteers have trouble keeping up with the call volume and more volunteers are needed, said Rose Dickson, a retired nurse, who has volunteered since 2015.

"We don't have enough people or enough time -- there is so much need. The phone never stops. It's hard to get volunteers. We could help more people if we had more volunteers."

Working in the needs office requires someone to be "comfortable talking to people. People who are retired, but who may have worked with people before," Dickson said.

The calls the office receives are often "very heartbreaking," Sturm said. "We're getting calls from people we've never had before. We're getting more and more people that are elderly that are calling. They're behind on rent or utilities and they need food because the price of everything is so high and they live on a very limited income. We're even getting calls from people who are in their 50s and 60s and even older who are becoming homeless. It's a scary thing. It's a really sad, sad state."

When the organization saw requests for temporary and expensive hotel stays escalate, it spearheaded efforts to find an alternative and worked together with other local organizations and city officials to create a warming shelter during the winter months, Sturm said. Many of the Vincentians also volunteered there.

One woman called recently because her hours at work were cut and she needed assistance with her rent to avoid eviction.

"We assisted by paying $200 towards it and the neighbor paid $250 or something. We ask the neighbors if they have any money they can put towards it and it's something that we do encourage," Sturm said. "We try to counsel them. If their cable bill is really high, we'll ask if there is any way they can get that cable bill down so that they're not in this boat next month. We ask them if there are extra hours available for them at their work. We talk to them and try to get them to see that it is their responsibility and how can we get out of this and not have it happen again?"

The funds come through the sale of clothing and household items at eight thrift stores located in Altoona, Carrolltown, Cresson, Ebensburg, Johnstown, Nanty Glo, Northern Cambria and State College. Together, the thrift stores had $1.5 million in annual sales, Consiglio said. The stores also help by providing vouchers for free clothing.

"We're seeing more and more customers. We offer quality items at a reasonable rate," he said.

"We often get unworn clothing with the original tags still on that are of high quality."

In addition to monetary support to meet a short-term need, the Needs Office also provides information about other agencies, such as Catholic Charities, Blair Community Action and others and works with those agencies.

Their goal, Sturm said, is to "walk alongside your neighbor, build a relationship. You help them and guide them to move forward in life."

For more information on assistance or to volunteer, contact the Human Needs Office at 814-201-2246.