In the heart of one of Chicago\u2019s most challenged neighborhoods, a proven, dignity-centered approach to breaking the cycle of poverty is about to take root.<\/p>\n
Goodwill Greater Milwaukee & Chicago recently announced a major partnership with Catholic Charities Fort Worth (CCFW) to bring the innovative Padua program to the greater Englewood community in south Chicago.<\/p>\n
Named after St. Anthony of Padua, patron saint of the poor, the program pairs participants with a team of two dedicated caseworkers for long-term, client-led support, with no arbitrary time limits. The only eligibility requirements for the program are that the client be 18 years old and willing to work.<\/p>\n
The collaboration marks a significant expansion of the model, which was developed in 2015 by CCFW and validated through a randomized controlled trial by the University of Notre Dame\u2019s Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO).<\/p>\n
Participants in the study were 25% more likely to achieve full-time employment, earned 46% higher incomes, and were 64% more likely to secure stable housing.<\/p>\n
Brendan Perry, director of Padua National at Catholic Charities Fort Worth, told EWTN News that the program was in response to the nonprofit \u201cseeing a lot of repeat customers,\u201d which, \u201cin the nonprofit world is not a good thing.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cWe weren\u2019t truly creating economic mobility,\u201d Perry recalled of the organization\u2019s earlier efforts. \u201cPadua was our answer to that challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Perry said the program was born from a simple but powerful question: What if?<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if the way we\u2019ve always addressed poverty isn\u2019t the way it has to be?\u201d he explained. \u201cWhat if we created a program where clients set their own goals, timelines were built around people instead of funders, and we holistically addressed a client\u2019s root issues instead of just the symptoms of their poverty? And what if we could prove it through research and create a model that was replicable?\u201d<\/p>\n
Unlike many short-term workforce programs, Padua\u2019s two-person case management teams (a case manager and caseworker) provide holistic support in employment, housing, education, and emotional resilience. Clients define their own goals and remain in the program for as long as needed.<\/p>\n
Perry said that people begin their journey with Padua from many different places and often come from a place of crisis. While Padua \u201cis not a crisis program,\u201d Perry said the program helps clients get to a place of stability.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce they\u02bcre there, we\u02bcre gonna be sticking with you for the long haul to get to a point of strength and of prosperity.\u201d<\/p>\n
One client who has benefited from the Padua program is Lisa, a divorced mother of three who faced single parenthood, housing instability, unemployment, and mental health issues among her children. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was in my marriage, there was a lot of breaking up and getting back together,\u201d Lisa said. \u201cThere was a lot of moving around, and I believe that\u02bcs how my son developed separation anxiety, which led to depression, and [he] became highly suicidal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lisa\u2019s caseworker helped her find counseling for her son as well as for Lisa, who learned coping skills that helped her better care for her son. <\/p>\n
\u201cI pour into his life daily by reminding him that you are handsome, you are smart, you are capable, you have a mum and a family that loves you. You are loved, you deserve to be alive. This world needs you,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The Padua program helped her attend culinary school and taught her financial skills like budgeting and saving.<\/p>\n
Lisa is now employed, has a stable home for her children, and has attended a culinary arts program with dreams of becoming a catering and private chef.<\/p>\n
She gives credit to her caseworker, Taelor: \u201cI call her my guardian angel because \u2026 she\u02bcs just been so loving and supportive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Perry added that the partnership with Goodwill reflects a shared commitment to human dignity.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not just expanding the program \u2014 we\u2019re ensuring more families have access to the tools they need to build bigger, brighter futures.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clayton Pryor, chief mission officer for Goodwill Greater Milwaukee & Chicago, emphasized how naturally the program aligns with their existing work.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt Goodwill, we believe lasting change starts with meeting people where they are,\u201d Pryor told EWTN News. \u201cPadua allows us to go deeper with individuals who need more intensive, long-term support. It\u2019s client-led, research-backed, and focused on real stability \u2014 not just a job, but a foundation for life.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Illinois program is scheduled to launch in October out of Goodwill\u2019s new Neighborhood Opportunity Center in Englewood. Pryor said the organization aims to serve 50 clients in the first year, scaling to more than 200 over five years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the heart of one of Chicago\u2019s most challenged neighborhoods, a proven, dignity-centered approach to breaking the cycle…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":916111,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5138],"tags":[5229,17159,960,204065,7371,7372,5877,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":["post-916110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-worth","tag-america","tag-catholic-news","tag-chicago","tag-diocese-of-fort-worth","tag-fort-worth","tag-fortworth","tag-poverty","tag-texas","tag-tx","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116872556381249806","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=916110"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916110\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/916111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=916110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=916110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=916110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}