Society of St.

Vincent de Paul
VOICE OF THE POOR
VOICE OF THE POOR
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Serving as advocate for those living in
poverty and representing them and their
interests with local elected officials and
with state and national legislators
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
VOICE OF THE POOR
"You must not be content with tiding the poor over the
poverty crisis; you must study their condition and
the injustices which brought about such poverty,
with the aim of long term
improvement
Blessed Frederic Ozanam
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During Home Visits
Vincentians seek to understand:
1. Needs of the family
2. Causes of familys poverty
3. Resources needed
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
VOICE OF THE POOR
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Build a Plan with the family
Tap into available resources
But, resources do not exist?
ADVOCACY
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
VOICE OF THE POOR
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ADVOCACY
Bottom-up advocacy from Home Visits
- With landlord or utility company
- With elected representatives
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
VOICE OF THE POOR
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ADVOCACY
We represent people in poverty in the societal bargaining process:
At the City, County level
At the State level
At the Federal level
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
VOICE OF THE POOR
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SVdPs VISION IS TO END POVERTY THROUGH
SYSTEMIC CHANGE
In Systemic Change, People in poverty themselves identify the
root-causes of their poverty.
Then, create strategies to change the
structures and remove the obstacles,
which keep them in poverty.
Advocacy is one of those strategies.
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
VOICE OF THE POOR
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ADVOCACY
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
VOICE OF THE POOR
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Frank Monasterio, Vincentian from Mountain
Home, ID testifying on Medicaid Expansion at
the J oint Finance and Appropriations Committee
of the Idaho legislature- Feb. 2014
Voice of the Poor trains people in poverty to advocate for themselves
When this is not possible, we represent them by sharing the stories heard
during home visits with elected officials
VOP leads both people in poverty and Vincentians to bring to public life our
Catholic principles, instead of partisanship
ADVOCACY
Advocacy requires:
Knowledge of regulations/legislation
Compelling stories from Home Visits
Mention of our extensive work
Coordination with allies
Follow-up to pressure elected representatives
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
VOICE OF THE POOR
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ADVOCACY
We do all we can for people in poverty; advocacy is
asking the broader society to do their part
Do not be shy!
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
VOICE OF THE POOR
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PARTICIPATION IN PUBLIC LIFE
"Politics is one of the highest forms of charity
because it seeks the common good." -- Pope
Francis
"Responsible citizenship is a virtue, and
participation in political life is a moral
obligation. -- Forming Consciences for Faithful
Citizenship (USCCB)
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
VOICE OF THE POOR
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Voice of the Poor leads
Vincentians to public life
In every Council
In every Conference
Every Vincentian can be the Voice of the Poor
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
VOICE OF THE POOR
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In conclusion ,
You might hear people objecting:
The Church should care for the poor, not the Government
Faith based efforts provide only 1 out of 24 bags of food, the government
provides the rest
People are poor because they are lazy
Many started off in a disadvantaged position, from which they cannot break-
out. Others are kept in poverty by unfair structures.
Helping the poor is extreme politics
When I feed the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor,
they call me a communist. -- Dom Helder Camara, Archbishop of Recife
I don't want to get political. Why is a non-profit engaged in
politics?
Voice of the Poor engages in politics but never in partisanship.
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
VOICE OF THE POOR
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CHARITY AND JUSTICE
Charity eases the SYMPTOMS of a larger issue
Justice looks at WHY those symptoms exist and solves the
systemic problems causing them
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
VOICE OF THE POOR
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Society of St. Vincent de Paul
VOICE OF THE POOR
For information on Voice of the Poor, see the Western
Region VOP website: http://www.wrvop.org/
To sign-up for CapWiz:
http://www.capwiz.com/svdpusa/mlm/signup/
To receive newsletters and other information:
http://www.wrvop.org/contact.html
For information on Catholic participation in public life,
see USCCB website: http://www.usccb.org/issues-
and-action/faithful-citizenship/forming-consciences-
for-faithful-citizenship-document.cfm
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