Helping People Every Day. Their Stories. Our Mission Work.

The people we help are neighbors. They are friends. And they are family. They aren’t second-class citizens. They didn’t choose to have dire circumstances bust them down financially, emotionally, physically or socially. We help and assist everyone we can. That is our mission. We live it every day.

Chipping Away at the Problem

Charlotte didn’t know how it happened, but her energy bill was completely out of control.  She looked at her $800 past due balance and knew there was no way she could catch up or pay it off with just her disability income.  She was running out of time and shut-off was looming.  What was she going to do without heat and electricity this winter?

She needed help, but would anyone provide it?  Would it be enough?  Would there be time to sort it all out?  Was it even worth trying at this point?

The answer to that last question was obvious.  She had two teenage daughters to take care of.  She couldn’t give up.  She had to find a way to keep the power on.  That is when she called the St. Vincent de Paul Help Line.

St. Vincent de Paul responded to her need with an immediate phone call to the energy company and a pledge of support.  The pledge covered just a small portion of Charlotte’s total bill, but was enough to buy Charlotte a little more time and a lot of momentum.

With renewed motivation, Charlotte attacked the problem again and this time was met with more success.  She was able to pay off a significant portion of the bill and negotiated a payment plan for the rest.  In the end, she avoided disconnection.

Many clients call the St. Vincent de Paul Help Line in similar circumstances.  They are desperate for help and easily defeated by the notion that their problems are too big to solve.  Thanks to many generous donations, St. Vincent de Paul can be there to help chip away at these problems and make them more manageable for the people in need within our communities.

 

Courage to Walk the Tight Rope

Sometimes making a big change can feel like walking a tightrope. Before taking your first step, you plan and prepare and wait for the conditions to be right, but what if conditions change before you get to the other side?  That was the challenge facing Vanessa, a veteran living in the south Seattle metro area.

Vanessa is dealing with a disability and recently started taking steps towards a new career, one that would be less physically demanding and improve her quality of life.  She had decided to become an esthetician and was preparing to start a course at a local salon academy when conditions suddenly changed.  She was thrown off balance by some unexpected expenses and was unable to pay her rent. It wasn’t long before she received an eviction notice.  How could she follow through with her plans without a place to live?

Fortunately, Vanessa had a safety net.  She was able to pay her rent and avoid eviction with the combined financial support of a friend and $125 from St. Vincent de Paul.  With her housing situation under control, she was able to return her focus to becoming an esthetician and improving her quality of life.

Making a big life change takes courage and strength, but taking that first step is always easier when a safety net is in place.  Thanks to the generosity of donors, SVDP can help provide that safety net.

 

 

Turning $20 into a Bridge to Hope

When Sue called us, she had $20 in her pocket and a promise from DSHS to provide rental assistance in two weeks. Until then, she and her two children had no place to stay but on the streets. Temporary shelters were already full.

She was ready to give her last $20 to help with getting shelter for her family – even if it was just for a few nights.

Sue worked nights -making just above minimum wage – at a warehouse. That made her housing emergency even more critical. Where could she keep her children, an eight-year-old boy with special needs and a 13-year-old girl, safe while she was at work?

Thanks to the generosity of donors, St. Vincent de Paul helped cover a motel for temporary shelter and gave her a food voucher for Safeway, along with bus tickets to get to work. This financial support allowed her to save money to care for her family.

What a difference a bridge makes.

Taking a Stand against Wage Theft

Maria was confident that she had done the right thing.  Maria, a single mother of two, had taken a stand against an unscrupulous boss who had failed to pay her and her son for two months worth of work.  She had filed a complaint with the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, but there was no guarantee that she or her son would ever recover the stolen wages.

It took courage for Maria to report her boss to the authorities.  At her own risk, she stood up for her family and other potential victims of wage theft.  Regardless, Maria and her family were rewarded with a harsh reality.  She and her older son had just spent 2 months working and living their lives with the expectation of getting paid.  Now, they were out of a job, with no way to pay for utilities, rent, or anything else.  The bills were piling up.  If they were lucky enough to find a job right away, they would still be 2 months behind.  How would they ever catch up?

Maria called St. Vincent de Paul when her water was about to be disconnected.  SVDP responded with a pledge of $84.72, enough to prevent the shut off and keep Maria and her family moving forward.

Victims of wage theft, like Maria, often need more than just legal assistance to stay on their feet.  Thanks to the continued generosity of donors, St. Vincent de Paul can be there to provide them with that support.