When Robert came to 最新杏吧原创 from New Orleans in May, he had one goal: to have his knee replaced by the same doctor who had performed surgery on his other knee years earlier.
Instead, what began as a medical journey quickly became a search for something more basic. He needed a place to stay.
Robert, who is widowed, arrived facing kidney problems and limited mobility. He had spent his savings helping pay for his wife鈥檚 medical treatments before her death. His only major asset was his car, and he was living on about $1,200 a month in Social Security Disability Income.
After his release from Mercy Hospital South, the friend he had expected to stay with could no longer take him in.
With nowhere else to turn, Robert called the Assumption in Mattese Parish. That phone call set in motion a series of encounters with the that would stretch across several weeks and involve multiple 最新杏吧原创 SVdP chapters and its members.
One need led to another. And Robert needed food.
He first received assistance from a St. Vincent de Paul parish pantry. SVdP members also helped him with a hotel while he searched for more affordable housing.
Eventually, Robert found a room advertised on Craigslist in Elsberry, Missouri. He met the couple renting the room and thought he had found a solution. The rent was an affordable $600 a month, but he did not have the money needed for the initial rent and deposit. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul helped cover those costs.
For a while, Robert had a place to stay. But the arrangement soon became unworkable.
The couple would not allow him to use the refrigerator or stove. He had to hang his laundry outside to dry. Already struggling to walk on crutches because of his knee, even these everyday tasks became difficult.
Then the air conditioning was turned off. Robert could no longer stay there. Once again, he needed a place to go.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul kept showing up. SVdP helped Robert with food and gas and coordinated additional assistance from the Society鈥檚 Conference at Immaculate Conception in Old Monroe.
He was temporarily placed in a motel in Troy and, at the same time, Vincentians were helping with problems that went beyond housing.
They helped Robert get his car licensed and legal and assisted him in resolving issues with his Medicaid coverage 鈥 an important step toward obtaining the medical care he needed.
Eventually, Robert found a place to stay in Maryland Heights, putting him closer to his doctors.
He is still waiting for Medicaid approval for the care and approvals necessary for his knee surgery. But he is no longer trying to navigate everything by himself. 鈥淚 knew God had sent St. Vincent de Paul,鈥 Robert told the Vincentians.
Throughout the ordeal, Robert has held tightly to his faith. From the beginning, he has told members at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul that he turns his problems over to God. He believes God sent the Society of St. Vincent de Paul to take care of him.
Robert鈥檚 experience illustrates something that can be difficult to see from the outside: A crisis rarely comes with just one problem.
A person may need food, then housing. Housing may lead to transportation challenges. A medical problem may complicate all of it.
For Robert, several SVdP Conferences responded as those needs emerged.
One helped with food. Another helped with lodging. Others helped with transportation, his car, Medicaid and the search for a safe place to live.
There was no single solution. There was simply a network of people willing to keep responding.
Today, Robert is still waiting for his surgery. He is still navigating the healthcare system and recovering physically. But he has a safe place to stay. He has people advocating for him. And he has hope. And he is already thinking about what comes next. Robert has told SVdP members that when he gets back on his feet, he intends to pay it forward and help someone else.
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