Recently, a delegation from Catholic Charites of South Jersey attended the Catholic Charities Diocesan Directors Spring Gathering in Arlington, Va.
Leaders across the Catholic Charities network gathered at Catholic Charities USA’s headquarters to discuss social policy, governance and management, among other top priorities. The event included reflections on spirituality and leadership. Toward the end of the conference, attendees spent a day on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., for Congressional Appropriation Committee meetings and State Delegation meetings.
“We are here on behalf of those who can’t be,” an attendee said firmly during a Congressional Appropriations Committee meeting.
For Catholic Charities of South Jersey, executive director Kevin Hickey and colleagues met with legislative staff from the offices of New Jersey Senators Cory Booker and Robert Menendez. The focus of the meetings was to share the needs, challenges and opportunities they see every day while serving people who are poor and vulnerable in South Jersey communities.
One issue in particular was at the forefront: the homelessness crisis. “These are people who have never had to use social services before in their life,” Sylvia Loumeau, director of clinical and social work services, said to legislative staff members as she emphasized the need for more affordable senior housing. Loumeau oversees the Welfare to Work, Family Center, and Clinical services at Catholic Charities of South Jersey, where she and her team have seen a significant increase in requests for housing assistance from seniors.
South Jersey’s delegates also requested the passing of the 2023 Farm Bill, which is up for renewal this year. They expressed the importance of the Farm Bill and its impact on their clients. Most major public nutritional assistance programs fall under the Farm Bill, including SNAP/EBT, a program that sees more than 60% of its recipients being children, individuals with disabilities, seniors and single parents.
The final critical request that was made was for more resources and policies to support the immigration crisis. Hickey shared stories about the significant uptick in immigration, migrant and refugee service requests that Catholic Charities of South Jersey has been receiving.
During the gathering in Arlington, attendees were divided into policy-specific small group briefings to prepare them for Congressional Appropriations Committee meetings. This year, meeting with Congressional Committee staff was critical with the anticipation of cuts to public funding in order to reallocate funds elsewhere. The goal of Catholic Charities was to highlight the importance of the programs clients rely on regularly to emphasize the need for continued funding.
Katie Hagan is marketing manager for Catholic Charities Diocese of Camden.
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