St. Vincent de Paul of Des Moines: 100 Years of Change

Can you believe St. Vincent de Paul started 100 years ago in Downtown Des Moines (DSM)?

Over our 100 years of dedicated service to our friends most in need, we have worked together to serve hundreds of thousands of people suffering from one form of poverty or another (emotional, relational, financial, etc.) The rich history of this organization is what has inspired our growth and increasing impact over the last century, and the incredible Greater Des Moines (DSM) community is what makes it all possible.

Just in the last nine years we have created two nationally replicated program models (Back2Work workforce training and Immersion Prisoner Reentry) that are in multiple locations nationwide. We have also grown from one site to three, with our fourth service center opening at Polk County Life Services this fall. This center will be in partnership with Polk County to open an innovative sobering center that will provide jail diversion, connections to community resources and referrals to treatment for our friends suffering from substance use challenges.

We are also partnering with the University of Iowa and Health and Human Services to help babies that are in foster care stay safe and get connected with healthy families through the Safe Babies Court Team, as well as working towards providing much more in-depth reentry services in the Polk County jail. It is our dedication to listening to neighbors we serve, impactful results, data and the engagement with all our volunteers and supporters that make this possible. As a result, we have grown from serving around 7,500 people annually to now serving over 35,000 in less than a decade.

As we have grown as an organization, we are seeing first-hand the challenges and changing needs in our community. Unfortunately, inflation continues to disproportionately impact lower income residents as rent prices, interest rates, gasoline prices and access to affordable food are reaching a crisis level. We know that many of our neighbors and their families are being forced to choose between paying rent or utilities and feeding their families. We also have seen first-hand the impact and fallout from isolation during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Substance use challenges are increasing, wages are not keeping up with inflation and the world seems to be in a place of uncertainty in nearly every aspect of daily life.

To be responsive to these challenges, the approach of St. Vincent de Paul is multifaceted and intentionally diversified. Our goal is to treat the symptoms that have caused our clients to experience poverty, not just patch the problem. As such, our programs work together to provide access to resources for those in need. These resources may include, but are not limited to:

Back2Work

The Back2Work program is a nationally replicated workforce development model (developed through St. Vincent de Paul of Des Moines) that focuses on two weeks of employment preparation and training, a potential internship and job placement at an employer paying at a livable wage.

 

Prisoner Re-Entry (IMMERSION)

The IMMERSION program is a nationally replicated reentry program developed in Des Moines! Through statewide partnerships, we teach courses in the jails and prisons on healthy relationships at home and work, financial literacy, provide mentors, case management and can utilize our other resources to meet people’s basic needs to successfully transition from jail or prison to society. Reentry services not only provide a second chance to those that we serve, but also enhances the tax base of DSM through reducing recidivism (it is extremely expensive to incarcerate people), but also by helping participants attain livable wage employment and pay taxes.

 

Food, Clothing and Hygiene Pantries (Two Locations)

Guests may be eligible to receive free hygiene products, infant needs, food, clothing and furniture. SVdP emphasizes access to healthy foods that assist in health and well-being so that our guests are more likely to become self-sufficient. Weekly recipes are provided to these families as well.

 

Adult Basic Education

Through our modern Education Center, we focus on delivering meaningful educational offerings to help our neighbors gain skills and resources to become self-sufficient. Some of these offerings include Financial Literacy, Digital Literacy, courses on healthy relationships at home and work and individualized career coaching. Learn more about the Education Center below:

 

Thrift Stores

Open to the public, individuals from all over central Iowa come into our store and purchase secondhand items at low cost such as furniture, clothing for men, women and young adults, shoes, appliances, beds and much more. Our thrift stores not only provide cost-effective goods to the public, but also mitigate waste in landfills and focus on recycling and reusing.

Safe Babies Court Team

Safe Babies is an approach that surrounds families and their infants with services and supports to ensure that infants are developmentally on track, health needs are met, resources are allocated to families regarding the varying needs of the families and additional support for parents so that they can reunite with their children.

Purpose:

• Services support the health and developmental needs of the child and promote safe solutions for families
• Collaboration across systems and services, with a shared responsibility
• Evidence-based and equitable practices guide decisions to meet child and family needs.

Coming Soon

St. Vincent de Paul is partnering with Polk County to open a Sobering Center to help provide critical services and resources to those struggling with alcohol-related issues. This center will serve non-violent individuals only, will provide diversion services and will operate as a unique model to best connect those we serve with the resources they need to get better.

We can’t do all this alone, SVdP collaborates and partners with many community service organizations with similar missions to ours. It is also important to know that St. Vincent de Paul serves anyone who walks through its doors, without any requirements to be eligible for services.

Whether it is providing a second chance to someone returning to society from incarceration, getting their first livable wage job, meeting their basic needs with dignity or providing affordable good while keeping quality goods out of landfills, St. Vincent de Paul has been the “First Step to a Second Chance” for the last century in DSM!

To celebrate a century of impact and service, we are hosting a gala on Thursday, Sept. 26 at Des Moines Golf and Country Club, with cocktail hour starting at 5:30 p.m. A program, great dinner, entertainment and an evening of fun and celebration will follow. If you are interested in attending, please consider sponsoring the event or purchasing tickets on our website. Please

Help Us, Help Others!

Improving the Greater Des Moines (DSM) community through volunteering and community service is a priority for many. Thanks to community engagement opportunities and leadership connecting local businesses to causes that provide services to improve the region, DSM continues to be a place that provides support for those who live, work and play here.