Catholic Charities Caring for Families Rocked by Poverty, Trauma, and COVID Grief; Hosts Annual Poverty Summit to Educate and Train the Public

Handyman and landscaper Pedro Mendoza still misses his wife Maria.  COVID took his high school sweetheart this summer, after 46 years together.  They built a home together, literally: a two-bedroom, one-bathroom house in Rosenberg.  It was a tight squeeze once they had four children, but they managed.  And once the kids were teenagers, they laughed when the boys hogged the bathroom more than the girls did.

Years later, the house rang with laughter again, when Pedro and Maria took in three of their granddaughters.  “All girls,” Pedro says with a grin.  “I was outnumbered!”  Maria got involved with Catholic Charities’ Grandparents Raising Grandchildren program, which made sure the girls had backpacks and new shoes when school started, and provided Christmas presents at the holidays.  Through the program, Maria also learned how to prepare nutritious meals so she could keep the girls healthy, in-between volunteering at the police station and as a school crossing guard.  And while Maria attended “class,” the girls learned and played together with the other participants’ grandchildren.  In fact, Pedro credits the program with building his autistic granddaughters’ social skills and resiliency.

Now that Maria is gone, the girls are counting on Pedro more than ever.  Feeding and clothing growing children means working far past retirement age and leaning on programs like Grandparents Raising Grandchildren for the extra help he needs.

Pedro Mendoza’s wife Maria loved Catholic Charities’ Grandparents Raising Grandchildren activities, so after she died from COVID, he took up the mantle and started attending.  Here he is at the program’s holiday party, with his granddaughters Carolyn (on lap), age 3, and Abby, age 6.

For families facing generational poverty, coupled with the grief of losing a loved one to COVID, it can be more than they can bear.  Human service agencies like Catholic Charities are seeing an uptick in clients with untreated trauma and grief.  Thus, in recognition of January as Poverty Awareness Month, they are hosting a FREE virtual event to help show the many faces of poverty, and what the public can do to help.  The Catholic Charities kNOw Poverty Summit 2022: The Intersection of Poverty and Trauma will be held online Thursday, January 27, 9–11:30 a.m.

Register and get more information about this non-denominational summit at www.CatholicCharities.org/KnowPoverty.

“To solve a problem, we believe you must understand it, then share promising practices so we can do more to solve it,” President and CEO Cynthia N. Colbert, MSW said.  “Every January, Catholic Charities invites nonprofit agencies, faith communities and others to join us at the kNOw Poverty Summit so we can work together even more effectively to help impoverished people find a path to self-sufficiency.”

During the kNOw Poverty Summit, keynote speaker Dr. Matthew Desmond, professor of sociology at Princeton University, will discuss the trauma of eviction, a fear-inducing issue plaguing many in our community.  Desmond is the principal investigator of The Eviction Lab, a team of researchers, students, and others who believe that a stable, affordable home is central to human flourishing and economic mobility.

The topic of eviction is a relevant one locally and nationally as many people have struggled to maintain employment during the COVID-19 pandemic.  According to The Eviction Lab, Houston saw more than 55,000 eviction filings from the beginning of the pandemic through early December 2021.  The Center for Disease Control’s moratorium on evictions ended in August 2021.

Many people in our community are just one unexpected expense away from having to choose between buying food, paying rent, or paying a bill.

The Kinder Institute’s 2021 Houston Area Survey found that 28 percent of respondents had difficulty paying for housing in the past year.  Additionally, more than a third of residents indicated they would not be able to come up with $400 for an emergency expense.

In addition to Desmond’s keynote address, break-out sessions during the kNOw Poverty Summit will cover topics such as caring for clients in crisis with faith, self-care for providers, trauma-informed care, and the impact of poverty on physical and mental health.

“Catholic Charities is very mindful of the challenges facing the people we serve,” said Senior Vice President of Programs Natalie Wood.  “When our dedicated case managers interact with our clients, they remember that many of them have experienced trauma during their lives.  We remain sensitive to these issues, treating them with respect and dignity.”

The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated poverty-related issues in the United States, and more people are needing assistance.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the national median income decreased by 2.9 percent from 2019 to 2020, the first significant decline in nearly a decade.  The national poverty rate also increased by one percentage point, to 11.4 percent. In Harris County, the poverty rate is 15 percent.

Catholic Charities has seen the increase in need on a local level, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Annual service numbers such as individuals served and pounds of food distributed have tripled when compared to pre-pandemic numbers.