St. Vincent de Paul: helping the poor, homeless, victims of domestic violence

	<< back Conference Resources Requests for Food If your conference has a pantry, try to fill the needs of the client from there. Refer to the Vincentian Help Desk 169 Stillman St., from 2 - 2:30pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday with a rent receipt or utility bill. Also refer to the FREE EATS and FREE PANTRY pages. Information is also available at 211SF.ORG or dial 211. If the conference is purchasing groceries for the client, accompany them to the grocery store if possible and assist in making good nutritional choices. For pregnant women, infants & children, SF Dept. of Public Health has a supplemental nutrition program; 415.554.9667 Requests for Furniture & Household Items Complete a voucher for SVdP stores in San Mateo County. They have new mattresses. Your conference will be billed for half the amount shown on the price list. Household items are available at the Vincentian Help Desk 169 Stillman St. from 2 - 2:30 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. The Community Thrift Store has furniture, clothing, household items for sale; 625 Valencia St. Thrift Town at 17th & Mission is another good resource for clothing, small appliances and household items. Requests for Clothing Clothing is distributed at the Vincentian Help Desk, 169 Stillman St. from 10 - 12:30 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Client must be referred. Clothing is also available with a voucher from SVdP Stores in San Mateo County. Birthright can provide newborn clothing; 415.664.9909 Requests for Assistance with Utilities The Salvation Army REACH program will assist people with overdue PG&E bills. 415.648.0260, 415.292.7341, or seniors only, 415.553.3500. HEAP is another program for assistance with PG&E, 415.749.6490. For assistance with water bills, contact City Hall, 415.554.7111 for the neighborhood liaison representative for your district. An offer to help set up a household budget may be appropriate.		Requests for Housing/Back Rent DeMari Philips, Homeless Prevention Funds Consortium, 558.2841. Requests for Cash It is not the policy of St. Vincent de Paul to give out cash. Many other resources are available through St. Vincent de Paul. Home Visits Home visits are the very heart of Vincentian service. It is in the home where we touch each other in the most human and intimate ways. A home visit confers dignity on both the visitor and the visited. They are always conducted in a non-judgmental and loving, respectful manner. A home visit is also a chance to assess a family's situation and need, so that resources can be most effectively used. It is always best to phone ahead and arrange a time that is convenient, and to do the visit in pairs. The two most important things we do on a home visit is listen and pray. Sometimes just being able to tell one's story, and be heard, is enough to find a way through a problem. Empathetic feedback is important; the interview is about the client, not the interviewer. Praying together sometimes provides the hope and grace for the client to find solutions to problems. Remember, our goal is to steer everyone toward self-sufficiency, not dependency. We try to provide the bridge to independence; when the bridge has been used, we can leave it behind.
©2009 St. Vincent de Paul Society of SF

Conference Resources

Requests for Food
If your conference has a pantry, try to fill the needs of the client from there. Refer to the Vincentian Help Desk 169 Stillman St., from 2 - 2:30pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday with a rent receipt or utility bill. Also refer to the FREE EATS and FREE PANTRY pages. Information is also available at 211SF.ORG or dial 211. If the conference is purchasing groceries for the client, accompany them to the grocery store if possible and assist in making good nutritional choices. For pregnant women, infants & children, SF Dept. of Public Health has a supplemental nutrition program; 415.554.9667

Requests for Furniture & Household Items
Complete a voucher for SVdP stores in San Mateo County. They have new mattresses. Your conference will be billed for half the amount shown on the price list. Household items are available at the Vincentian Help Desk 169 Stillman St. from 2 - 2:30 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. The Community Thrift Store has furniture, clothing, household items for sale; 625 Valencia St. Thrift Town at 17th & Mission is another good resource for clothing, small appliances and household items.

Requests for Clothing
Clothing is distributed at the Vincentian Help Desk, 169 Stillman St. from 10 - 12:30 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Client must be referred. Clothing is also available with a voucher from SVdP Stores in San Mateo County. Birthright can provide newborn clothing; 415.664.9909

Requests for Assistance with Utilities
The Salvation Army REACH program will assist people with overdue PG&E bills. 415.648.0260, 415.292.7341, or seniors only, 415.553.3500. HEAP is another program for assistance with PG&E, 415.749.6490. For assistance with water bills, contact City Hall, 415.554.7111 for the neighborhood liaison representative for your district. An offer to help set up a household budget may be appropriate.

Requests for Housing/Back Rent
DeMari Philips, Homeless Prevention Funds Consortium, 558.2841.

Requests for Cash
It is not the policy of St. Vincent de Paul to give out cash. Many other resources are available through St. Vincent de Paul.

Home Visits
Home visits are the very heart of Vincentian service. It is in the home where we touch each other in the most human and intimate ways. A home visit confers dignity on both the visitor and the visited. They are always conducted in a non-judgmental and loving, respectful manner.
A home visit is also a chance to assess a family's situation and need, so that resources can be most effectively used. It is always best to phone ahead and arrange a time that is convenient, and to do the visit in pairs.
The two most important things we do on a home visit is listen and pray. Sometimes just being able to tell one's story, and be heard, is enough to find a way through a problem. Empathetic feedback is important; the interview is about the client, not the interviewer. Praying together sometimes provides the hope and grace for the client to find solutions to problems.
Remember, our goal is to steer everyone toward self-sufficiency, not dependency. We try to provide the bridge to independence; when the bridge has been used, we can leave it behind.