The Office of Social Ministry of St. Joseph Cathedral Basilica, founded in 1983, is dedicated to empowering those who are homeless and other disadvantaged residents of San Jose to improve the quality of their lives. Steadfast in the belief that every human being is blessed with God-given dignity, it is director Sharon Miller who simplifies the mission statement of the Office of Social Ministry in one word: compassion.
The Window
The most pragmatic, every day services of the Office of Social Ministry are accessed most visibly at its drop-in "Window" on the first floor of the church building at 80 S. Market Street, adjacent to the Cathedral. It is downtown San Jose's wide-open Window that people on the street, regardless of their religious orientation, ethnicity, or life circumstance, can approach to receive help with immediate, wide-ranging needs:
- Snacks, beverages, sandwiches
- Bags of nonperishable groceries
- Toiletries
- Tokens for public toilets
- Free use of the telephone (local calls)
- Vouchers for clothing/blankets
- VTA emergency tokens
- Mail and messages
- Fax and limited copy services
- Walk-in medical care
- Addiction counseling
- Referrals to shelters, hot meal programs and emergency services in Santa Clara
- County, including information on mental health and abusive relationship situations.
A full-time Jesuit Volunteer and full-time bilingual (Spanish) social services coordinator manage the Window and provide services for its daily 100 (or so) drop-in clients. The Window is open Monday through Thursday 9:30 to 5:00 (closed 12:30 to 1:30) and Friday 1:00 to 5:00.
Job Search Program
Central to the program's mission is helping the homeless and disadvantaged find and maintain employment. A one-hour class in English and Spanish that offers pre-employment personal preparation, current job opportunities, and information about specific help available at the Window is held on site regularly as scheduled Services offered are:
- Use of our address for U.S. mail delivery
- Voice mail and e-mail set-up
- Phone message center
- One-on-one job counseling
- Computer / internet job search
- Referrals for professional attire
- VTA passes while job searching
- Help with obtaining IDs
- Translation services (Spanish)
- Occasional guest speakers
Walk-in Medical Clinic
On Tuesday and Wednesday, a medical team from Gardner Family Health Network sets up a clinic on site. The team provides free primary health care for those living in a shelter or on the streets, including:
- General health screening / treatment
- Well child services / immunizations
- Limited ob / gyn care
- Limited pharmaceutical
- Referral of serious cases to appropriate medical care
- Health insurance registration
An addiction counselor, also with Gardner Family Health Network, is available at the Window 3 - 4 days a week to talk with anyone seeking help with drug or alcohol dependency and addiction-related problems.
Alcoholics Anonymous meetings take place in adjoining "Loyola Hall" every Wednesday at 12:00 and, in Spanish, at 10:00.
Food Bag Program
Twice a month, on any day and at any time, people may pick up a 15-lb bag of nonperishable groceries at the Window. Targeted recipients are low-income seniors and those families and individuals who have moved out of shelters into their own apartments.
Beyond the Window..... to Opportunity
While irreplaceable in its role as provider of immediate and often critical care, the Window is actually a gateway for many services that lead to more permanent, dignigied, and socially acceptable solutions for those who are homeless. Four such housing programs and one outreach program are currently functioning in San Jose:
St. Joseph the Worker House for Homeless Men
A transitional home with resources for 20 men, it provides peer support and a house manager. The program requires residents to be addiction-free, maintain employment and a savings account, and improve family relationships-while seeking permanent housing.
St. Joseph the Worker House for Homeless Women and Children
Like the Worker House for men, this is a transitional home, with a live-in house manager, providing facilities and support for 20 addiction-free women and their children. Among other things, the women are encouraged to increase their education, break the cycle of welfare, repair relationships, restore self-esteem, and move into permanent housing.
Ninth Street Permanent Housing
Housing four single men, "graduates" from the Worker House referenced above, who want to live in sobriety and community.
Shelter Plus Care
A Housing and Urban Development (HUD) project, it is jointly administered by the County Homeless Coordinator, various other city / county and mental health agencies, and the Office of Social Ministry. The program, with aggressive case management, targets those with chronic history of street and shelter homelessness, addicts in drug or alcohol rehabilitation, and people with mental health diagnoses or HIV.
Morning Street Outreach
Saturday morning breakfast, nourishing and warm, cooked and served to the homeless in shelters and on the streets by some 50 St. Joseph parishioners.
We Acknowledge and Thank:
The Second Harvest Food Band, Neighboring downtown businesses, restaurants, and individuals for their varied contributions. Greenbriar Homes; Housing & Urban Development (HUD); Sobrato Foundation; Health Trust Foundation; Charity Ball; Valley Foundation. Other civic agencies and community organizations that assist us. Participants and patrons of our annual "Season of Hope" Holiday program that provides critical funding and a tangible spirit of hope. St. Francis of Assisi Church community. Parishioners of St. Joseph Cathedral for their spiritual and financial support and our many volunteers.
How You Can Help
Take to the "Window" at 80 South Market St. non perishable foods such as juice, self-opening cans of Vienna sausage, cans of beef stew, tuna, soup, fruit, crackers, cookies. Also, disposable razors, toiletries, and infant items such as diapers and formula. In wintertime, umbrellas and blankets.
We are grateful for monetary contributions in any amount. Please make a check payable to the Office of Social Ministry or to make an online donation.