For more than 3,500 Gilroyans, a helping hand from St. Joseph’s
Family Center means the difference between a night on the streets
or a warm bed, an empty stomach or a hot meal.
For more than 3,500 Gilroyans, a helping hand from St. Joseph’s Family Center means the difference between a night on the streets or a warm bed, an empty stomach or a hot meal.
Named the 2009 Nonprofit Organization of the Year by the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce, St. Joseph’s is a community staple with a long history of serving South County, Chamber Chief Executive Officer Susan Valenta said.
“They have helped so many individuals and families on their road to independence,” she said.
From providing the basics, including nutritious dinners for homeless men and women, to wrap-around services, such as career counseling and transportation, St. Joseph’s is powered by only eight full-time staff members and a bevy of faithful volunteers, said Executive Director David Cox, now is in his eighth year with the organization.
“I’m really proud of what we’re able to accomplish with such a small staff,” Cox said.
An astounding 20,000 hours donated by a dedicated corps of volunteers added the equivalent of another 10 full-time staff positions last year.
Thanks to the devotion of the staff and volunteers, the center has launched initiatives, such as its downtown Gilroy Streets Team and a supportive housing program for the chronically homeless – with a third of the manpower of organizations with similar accomplishments. More than 90 percent of every dollar St. Joseph’s brings in goes right back into the community for direct services, Cox said.
Last year, St. Joseph’s placed 11 chronically homeless men and women into permanent housing, restoring a sense of dignity and self-worth that had been lost after years on the streets.
“They look different, act different, feel different – for the most part it’s truly changed their lives,” Cox said.
Several of the men in the permanent housing program are also members of the Gilroy Streets Team, a six-person crew that has adopted four blocks of downtown Gilroy along the railroad tracks. The men can often be seen along Monterey Street cleaning storm drains, washing off or painting over graffiti or cleaning up trash. St. Joseph’s pays the men with small stipends or by covering some of their bills. The team also provides the members with a sense of purpose and belonging, Cox said.
Although he didn’t know who nominated St. Joseph’s for the honor and Valenta wouldn’t say, Cox said he believes the nomination was made on the basis of the organization’s “venerable status, the diversity of our programs and the diversity of our partnerships in the community.”
The Nonprofit of the Year award is not given out annually like the Chamber’s other honors, but only every few years when enough nominations warrant the extra category.
“Of course we’re very flattered,” Cox said. “We’re very proud to be a part of this community. Our focus is always on how we can make things better for the families and individuals that we serve. We want to continue to examine ways that we can bring the community together to bring about awareness and a cohesive approach to dealing with some of these issues.”
“These issues” include the highest rate of homelessness per capita in Santa Clara County – 660 out of Gilroy’s approximately 50,000 residents, according to the county’s 2007 homeless census and survey. The issues also include the highest unemployment rate in the county at about 17 percent, a spike in both childhood and adult obesity, and all the complications that come with poor health.
“People never come to us with an isolated need,” Cox said. “They’re never just homeless or just hungry.”
John Dartmouth, 26, a man who picks up a brown bag lunch every day from St. Joseph’s, said he didn’t know where he’d be without the help of the center. Jobless and homeless, Dartmouth said the center keeps him from going hungry.
“So many people survive because of that place,” Dartmouth said. “What would this town do without St. Joseph’s?”
