St. Vincent de Paul assistance programs Allentown and Lehigh County.
In an effort to tackle poverty in Lehigh County, the Saint Vincent de Paul Conference at St. Paul Roman Catholic Church provides both short term, emergency assistance as well as information on long term support. Most of the help is in the form of free food or basic needs, with limited financial assistance. While there are no guarantees to receiving aid, and resources are limited, they can assist with needs ranging from transportation for seniors to free food or holiday assistance for children.
Any type of assistance from SVDP paid out is only for low income families, with proof of residency, and that are also in a crisis. Also, the programs, whether the food pantry, limited emergency funds for bills or something else, provide a hand up to the applicant, and this should not be thought of as a “free hand-out”. So the applicant should be prepared to take the steps required to gain long term, financial stability.
Allentown St. Vincent de Paul free basic needs
There are a few different categories of support. These include free food, clothing for work or school, and a voucher program. Each of these will mostly depend on donations from the community or partners, and St. Paul Roman Catholic Church even holds many fund raisers. Whether it is the support from an organization such as Feeding America, or the surplus food and meals donated to SVDP in Lehigh County by a local restaurant, these programs more than any others do in fact depend on the generosity of others.
- Food assistance – Any support is usually in the form of an emergency box of groceries that may last for a few days. The assistance from a pantry can provide time for the family to either apply for SNAP food stamps or make it through the crisis. Find more free groceries from pantries in Pennsylvania.
- Clothing from St. Vincent de Paul in Allentown will be gently used. There can be items, such as dresses or slacks, for someone going on a job interview or new clothing for a student from a low income family.
- Vouchers are a targeted form of aid in Lehigh County. They exist for needs ranging from motel rooms to prescription medications or gasoline for a job interview.
There may be other forms of support arranged as needed. The basic needs programs are also often seasonal too. So during the fall months there may be Christmas assistance, such as meals or small gifts for children and the elderly. Or during the summer, a free fan may be available to help cool the home of a senior citizen or family with an illness.
Housing, financial help and other benefit programs
Most of any financial assistance from St. Paul Roman Catholic Church is in the form of referrals. While Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Allentown does try to help those families that are facing homelessness, this can be difficult to do unless the underlying cause of the hardship is dealt with. Some clients just have managed their finances poorly, and others may be facing a one time crisis, such as medical emergency. The solutions for the different scenarios will vary widely.
In addition, housing challenges are expensive to resolve too. This is where St. Vincent de Paul in Allentown will tend to rely on funding from the donations, parishioners, the United Way, or even the federal government. There are annual allotments of grants provided to various agencies, and each will do their best to provide financial help to those residents that qualify. Learn more on rent assistance.
Lehigh County St. Vincent may be able to offer, when funding allows, emergency rent help or maybe assistance with an utility or rental deposit for someone moving out of transitional housing. Financial aid may also be provided for a wide range of utility expenses, such as water, electric, or heating. But as noted, this type of assistance from SVDP is rare.
The staff can also assist in other ways. For those that need information on government benefits, they can often offer referrals to application sites for SSI disability, SNAP food stamps, or similar services. St. Vincent de Paul will also have information on job placement centers in the Lehigh County, or they partner with HUD approved foreclosure and debt counselors across Allentown. So the team at SVDP can be an effective source of information on many resources in the community.
St. Vincent de Paul of Lehigh County will require the client to enroll into some form of case management as well. This means that the person will need to agree to setting goals and to meeting them in order to continue to receive any form of support. Sine the assistance is a hand up, the agency (as most are) are very hesitant to provide someone with money or a voucher if they will just continue to seek help again on a recurring basis.
How to apply for St. Vincent de Paul assistance in Lehigh County
When seeking assistance, it is recommended to do this early, before falling too far behind. Any family that waits until they are on the verge of eviction or if they are too far behind, then this really limits what St. Paul Roman Catholic Church St. Vincent Conference can do to support them. For more information of their resources, dial 610-797-9733 or stop by 920 South Second Street , Allentown, Pennsylvania 18103.
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