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Community Ministry Updates
MISSION MINISTRIES
We are a group of 31 consecrated Sisters involved in a wide range of service ministries. Guiding our areas of service is our charism “to meet unmet needs.” This translates into work including supporting senior citizens, eliminating family violence, and our history of support for women and families.
Our Motherhouse in Florence has served many purposes and met many needs since it was purchased over a 100 years ago. It transformed again last year when we began a partnership with property managers DP Management and Kimball Management. While DP and Kimball will take over daily tasks related to the housing community, NDH will retain the service coordination aspects with our Life Enrichment Coordinator.
DP MANAGEMENT
DP Management, a Midwestern leasing and property management company since 1958, was a perfect fit for NDH because of its experience in senior living as well as the tax credit and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) status of the residents, based on tenant income.
KIMBALL MANAGEMENT
Kimball Management, Inc. is a small familyowned business specializing in managing affordable housing projects for senior citizens. President Richard Kimball has been managing and assisting in development of HUD-assisted senior housing since 1978. His son Jim and his wife Cathy now continue the work.
Kimball said he is proud to join the Notre Dame Housing team for a second time. As a volunteer he assisted with the initial opening and occupancy. He said his sentiment for the Notre Dame Sisters dates back to when his girlfriend graduated from Notre Dame Academy. That girlfriend subsequently became his beloved wife for 67 years. NOTRE DAME SISTERS
term “Safe Homes” when the COVID-19 pandemic came to our community. No home was safe from the Coronavirus, but women in abusive households were even less safe, often quarantining with their abuser.
Last year we served 93 women and 122 children by providing $500 for the first month’s rent or deposit, or $250 utilities for women who were ready to launch their lives after escaping a domestic violence situation.
Safe Homes addresses the need for a safe place so that a woman can rebuild her home life and take steps to start her future and leave abuse in her past. The social workers we work with from local agencies all agree that financial stability after escaping domestic violence is the differencemaker between staying independent and going back to an abuser.
“When someone’s leaving an abusive relationship, they are stripped of pretty much everything. They don’t have the skill set, a lot of times, the financial literacy, the credit score, the knowledge about how to get into a place, or even the financial ability to be able to afford a deposit. So it’s really like they’re starting from the beginning,” said Nyawour Paljor, a social worker with Catholic Charities.
Our “Keeping On” portion of Safe Homes provided supportive phone calls, referrals for further services, and grocery gift cards to 153 women last year. This continues our relationship with these women. “The Sisters took something so traumatic and turned it into a stepping stone, an accomplishment I can actually be proud of,” said Kristi, a client who continues in “Keeping On”.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE CRIME OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING DID NOT STOP during the Covid
pandemic. However, the Coalition on Human Trafficking needed to stop doing trainings due to limited business in hotels/motels and, therefore, less staff on site. A number of hotels/motels closed down, even some permanently.
When requested, training was done by Zoom. Recently, the trainers have begun to do face-to-face trainings.
During this down-time, the Coalition updated the Hotel/Motel training which is now being piloted. In addition, the Coalition designed training modules for security personnel and corporations which eventually will be accessible on the website: https://notrafficking.org.
The Coalition is very blessed to have received a generous donation of $50,000 from the Diabetes Education Center of the Midlands which is being used for sustainable training programs.
