Catholic Charities serves needs of many

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
Dec. 14, 2006

Each year Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Sioux City serves 5,500 to 6,000 people through counseling services, its crisis financial assistance program and adoption services/searches.

With the agency's main office in Sioux City and branch offices in Carroll, Fort Dodge, Storm Lake and Algona, Catholic Charities serves the needs of people from throughout the entire diocese.

According to Jerry Eaton, director of Catholic Charities, over 80 percent of the people who came to the Sioux City office in the last year made less than $35,000 a year. Over 90 percent of their clientele made under $50,000.

With that in mind, he stressed the fact that the lower and middle-income individuals and families who don't have insurance need help to pay for the counseling services sought out due to problems in a marriage, with a child or problems created by a job loss or other crisis situations.

"They need a place to go where what they pay is based upon their income, not based upon what it costs for the counseling," said Eaton. "That's one of the primary services that we provide."

Catholic Charities offers a sliding fee scale based upon income.

All Catholics in the Diocese of Sioux City will have a chance to help in this effort when the collection is taken for Catholic Charities on Christmas.

Last year only 28 percent of the income for Catholic Charities - the amount of money needed to operate - came from fees, both from clients, insurance money and government money. When Eaton became director of the agency eight years ago they received a little over 50 percent from fees. He attributed that decline mainly to the decrease in government funding.

Presently, in addition to fees paid by clients they receive money through the Christmas collection, the Diocesan Annual Appeal, United Way and people who contribute directly to the agency.

"As the government has pulled back, we have to go back to the system that really works and that is the faith-based system," said Eaton. "The people who have always made a difference are the good, charitable people in the community who know that there are people out there who have a need."

He pointed out that the donor dollar is the reason the agency can exist.

"People always ask: What is charity? People understand it from the standpoint of food pantries, shelters, our Families in Crisis Program - one time crisis needs," said Eaton. "But what Catholic Charities across the nation has found is that yes you need to meet that need but even more important is helping people work through a problem so that they can handle their needs on their own."

For instance, he noted, if they can offer marriage counseling to a couple so there is no divorce, then that helps children and parents from falling into poverty.

"You are keeping a family intact. All of the social problems that end up happening because of divorce, don't have to happen," he said. "If you can help a family work through a parent-child crisis then a lot of times you end up preventing kids getting into trouble within a community, ending up in court, ending up being taken out of a home and all those things."

Family he said is a focus at Catholic Charities because it is the basic social unit in society.

"If you can keep the family intact and the family operating in a healthy fashion, then society benefits from it greatly," said Eaton.

What makes Catholic Charities different from other counseling services?

The faith component.

"There is an actual belief in what lies within the individual - the good that is there that we take advantage of," he said. "We don't give up on people like some therapists do. Sometimes they will refer people to us."

Sometimes people are also referred to Catholic Charities after their insurance runs out.

"When somebody believes in them and focuses on more than just the problem, focuses on their own humanity and bringing that to the surface then it is easier to help people resolve problems," noted Eaton.

For couples in therapy, it is best when couples can understand that their relationship is based upon love and help them get back into connection with the love.

"Once you reestablish the love, then you can solve the problems. A lot of marital couples throw the love out the window. They are just fighting and most are looking for a referee to tell them who is right and who is wrong," he said.

If the couple can become focused on why they got married and get them honoring one another then the solutions are easier to find.

When people seek individual counseling after a crisis situation or transition in life such as job loss, then the counselors help people focus on their own strengths.

Catholic Charities provides all types of therapy - individual, marital, family and group.

In addition to counseling services, the Families in Crisis Program provides financial assistance for such things as rent, utilities, medical expenses and food. This fund was originally started thanks to the donations of the late Walter Westendorf, who gave stock each year that ranged from $25,000 to $40,000. He kept his giving private during his lifetime but it was made public upon his death. At that time, the family gave a final donation to the fund of $100,000. Another anonymous family contributes money to this fund each year.

"The help we receive for families in need at Christmastime, the numbers grow every year. People recognize what is going on," he noted. "There is a big gap in our society between the haves and have nots. There are a lot of very generous people out there who have been very thoughtful and keep Catholic Charities in mind."