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Catholic Charities aims to cut homeless rate in half
By Magdalin Leonardo, The Catholic Sun
April 19, 2007
Each Saturday, dozens of homeless men and women crowd into the narrow entryway of Andre House looking for a shower, some clean clothes and a little dignity.
Andre House, a downtown ministry that offers food, clothing and shelter to the poor, is a popular gathering place for hundreds of Phoenix homeless. But if Paul Martodam has his way, many of these people won’t be homeless for long.
His goal? To cut the number of Arizona homeless in half by the year 2025.
Martodam, CEO of Catholic Charities Community Services, will unveil a plan to achieve his goal at Catholic Charities’ inaugural Compassion in Action Breakfast May 2 at the Arizona Biltmore. The hour-long program will be emceed by KPHO CBS 5 meteorologist Sean McLaughlin.
The purpose of the Compassion in Action Breakfast is to raise awareness of the issues of poverty, a problem Martodam is dedicated to solving.
“Our goal is to educate the public on the multitude of programs Catholic Charities has to help people out of poverty,” Martodam says. “We are asking people to support us.”
All proceeds raised during the breakfast will directly benefit those Catholic Charities programs that help individuals, families and children climb out of poverty. It will also help the public understand just how widespread the poverty crisis is, and how vulnerable people are to it.
In 2005, 14.2 percent of all individuals in Arizona lived below the poverty level. That number is slightly higher than the national average, a number tied with New York. If the current poverty rate in Arizona continues, roughly 1.5 million people will be homeless in less than 20 years.
Holy Cross Father Bill Wack director of Andre House, believes the answer to solving the homeless problem begins with permanent housing.
“Shelters are so ’80s,” Fr. Wack said. “We need affordable, supportive housing.”
“Miami, Denver and Chicago have made permanent housing for the homeless work,” Fr. Wack said. “But once they get into their housing, these people need support.”
Martodam agrees that a lack of support is the main culprit behind Arizona’s homeless crisis.
“We want to put a caring community around the homeless to support them,” he said.
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