The St. John Vianney Conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a lay Catholic organization that provides food and financial assistance for a variety of basic needs including utilities, medical care, housing and other direct aid, has reported increased demand due to rising living costs, including spikes in rent and utility bills, in Sedona and the Village of Oak Creek.
“Our mission is to ‘offer tangible assistance to those in need on a person-to-person basis. This aid may take the form of intervention, consultation or often through direct dollar or in-kind service … while maintaining the confidentiality and dignity of those who are served,’” St. Vincent de Paul grant writer Andrew Brearley wrote in an application to the Arizona Community Foundation for $10,000 to supplement its rental assistance program. The ACF grant awards will be announced in November. “We’ve been offering the [rental] assistance in Sedona since 1987 and our primary aid is with rental and utility payments as well as a weekly Thursday food bank. Ancillary aid is given with medical and transportation needs.”
Rental Assistance Program
When someone in need requests assistance, one volunteer listens to the calls and two others then visit the caller.
“Every assistance case is unique,” treasurer Bill Koza said. “We have general rules, but everything is handled on a case-by-case basis after interviews and documentation.
We have had clients where we help them two months in a row, because we know that they’re employed and they’re going to be able to make their rent payment in the future, but they need the help initially.”
This year, about 30 families have received an average of around $1,000 in rental assistance. Rental assistance is typically a one-time payment, but recipients can receive multiple months of assistance depending on their circumstances. Recipients must provide a valid lease, and the charity typically does not pay for the deposit on a new apartment.
“In general, the need for food assistance has been tracking fairly steady to slightly increasing, but the overall appeal for help has been increasing, especially in the area of rent and housing,” Bill Koza said. “That’s the one thing that stands out.”
Working alongside Bill is his wife Maureen Koza. The couple have been volunteering with the charity for the last 12 years after retiring from Houston.
“We want to keep people housed,” Maureen Koza said, adding that providing mortgage assistance has become increasingly rare for them. “We try to be equitable with the grant monies, so one person isn’t taking up all the resources.”
“Also home prices have gone up so much that if you have a mortgage, your equity is probably grown, so you could borrow against the equity with the credit line, which is probably why we’re not seeing as much mortgage assistance.” Brearley said.
Approval of aid is contingent on the client living locally, their level of income, the cause of their financial strain and whether they have made prior requests for assistance. When aid is approved, the organization pays a landlord directly. The application process also includes mandatory financial counseling.
“We have to work on their understanding of their situation, we don’t just throw cash at them,” Maureen Koza said.
She added that 50% of their requests for rental assistance currently come from residents of manufactured homes.
“They call [the Arizona Department of Economic Security] for assistance, and DES refers them to St. Vincent de Paul,” she said, adding that word-of mouth awareness of the assistance program among mobile home residents is also driving the requests. “In fact, I have several coming in today … I think they must have raised the rents in the manufactured homes.”
Automotive Program
“Last year, I think all of our calls in one week were for auto repair, because they all heard that we had money for auto repairs,” Maureen Koza said. “When we have grant money for auto repairs, we limit the repairs to safety issues, and we work with the mechanics to identify what’s absolutely necessary to make an automobile roadworthy and not a safety hazard to [other drivers]. That’s the main criteria for auto repair.”
Over the last 12 months, they have fulfilled 52 requests for transportation related assistance.
“And 50% of our automobile clients live in their cars, so there’s a safety issue,” Brearley said.
Maureen Koza said that their clients who live in cars are typically single individuals or single parents who take temporary employment as needed.
The Sedona City Council awarded St Vincent de Paul $7,500 through the Small Grants Program this year to provide transportation assistance for auto repairs, loan payments to prevent repossession, insurance and emergency travel for medical needs or family emergencies.
“Demand has always been steady for our automotive assistance program. Even when we are out of funds [in other programs], we continue to get lots of calls from auto repairs,” Maureen Koza said. “And a lot of these automobiles that we get calls on are very old and have high mileage.” She said that they turn down many of the requests because the cost of the repairs would be far greater than the Kelly Blue Book value of the vehicles involved.
The charity also operates a food pantry at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, located at 180 St. John Vianney Lane.
“Everyone is welcome, and no one is denied food,” Bill Koza said. “As far as supply and demand goes, I think we’re just meeting what the demand is that’s coming to the food bank.”
Those interested in contributing to the St. Vincent de Paul Society can send monetary donations to P.O. Box 612, Sedona, AZ 86339. Food donations of canned and prepackaged goods can also be dropped off at the church.
For more information, visit sjvsedona.org/stvincent-de-paul. Those in need of services can call (928) 821-1292.
