The District of Evansville of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the CenterPoint Energy Foundation to provide a 16-week session of “Getting Ahead in a Just Getting-by World: Building Your Resources for a Better Life,” a group process for self-discovery and resource building for financial independence. “Getting Ahead” is built upon the principles in “Bridges Out of Poverty: Strategies for Professionals and Communities” authored by Ruby Payne, Phil DeVol and Terie Dreussi Smith.
In “Getting Ahead” sessions, a small group of 10-12 individuals use reading materials and group discussions and activities to learn about themselves, the theory of change, the causes of poverty in the United States, and the unspoken or “hidden” rules of different economic classes. Participants go on to learn about the importance of language when speaking across economic classes, discover eleven categories of resources, conduct personal and community assessments of those resources and begin to create and work toward plans of economic improvement for themselves and the community.
Group members are compensated for their participation. The St. Vincent de Paul Society provides the evening meal before each session. Upon graduation, participants may be eligible to apply for a St. Vincent de Paul backed consumer loan to help retire any predatory debt and begin building a higher personal credit rating. Community partners continue to work with participants following graduation.
The CenterPoint Energy Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization funded by non-utility related transactions and is not an element of customers’ energy bills. Visit https://www.centerpointenergy.com/en-us/business/in-your-community/giving-back/corporate-giving?sa=ho to learn more.
St. Vincent de Paul is a member of the local Getting Ahead Initiative Network (GAIN). To learn about joining a St. Vincent de Paul Getting Ahead group or to volunteer to help, visit https://svdpevansville.org/getting-ahead/ or email info@svdpevansville.org or call the office at (812) 602-5182.
