“No matter how successful you are, how much money you have — everybody needs somebody,” she said. “You’re always going to need somebody.”

Every weekday, India Brown can be found at the St. Vincent de Paul thrift distribution center in Cool Valley, processing donations and sorting and pricing items. She laughs and jokes with her coworkers as they go, calling them “my second family.”

It wasn’t long ago that Brown’s connection to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul looked a little different — she was receiving thrift store vouchers and utility assistance. Now, she’s glad that her work supports other people who find themselves in need of help.

Brown and her family were among the 13 households that graduated this past fall from Pathways to Progress, a joint program of Catholic Charities of St. Louis and St. Francis Community Services. Working with all eight Catholic Charities federated agencies and other key community partners, the program provides long-term, wrap-around case management and support services, working with members to enhance individual strengths, develop skills and build financial assets that empower their families toward stability and long-term economic independence. The “long-term” part is key — while many programs have time limits of a few months or a year, Pathways to Progress members typically stay in the program for a few years, giving them the time needed for long-lasting growth.

The program helps address rights and responsibilities, which form one of the tenets of Catholic social teaching. This teaching reminds us that every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities — to one another, our families and the larger society.

Pathways to Progress was launched in 2016 in north St. Louis County and opened a second location in north St. Louis city in 2021. Six member advisers — one in north city and five in north county — currently work with 65 households, which include 74 adults and 173 children. Twenty-eight households have graduated since the program began, with 13 graduating in 2022.

Achieving her goals

Brown was one of the initiative’s first members. When she entered, she had a lot going on: “Legal trouble, trouble with my kids, housing trouble, employment trouble,” she said.

She was on probation after passing a bad check to buy food and diapers for her young children, she said, and her probation officer referred her to Pathways to Progress. She was initially hesitant to open up her life to her first member adviser, Wade, but she grew more comfortable as they built trust between them. “No matter what I had going on, he did not judge me in any way,” she said.

Member advisers and members work together to set goals and determine how to attain them. During her years in the program, Brown was able to get her driver’s license reinstated, find better housing for her family and stabilize her finances.

With a felony on her record, Brown had struggled to find and keep a good job. But when she interviewed at the St. Vincent de Paul thrift distribution center, she was hired on the spot. She easily recalls the day she was hired — Sept. 17, 2021. Since then, she’s gotten two raises and a promotion.

“I will forever be grateful to St. Vincent de Paul, because they didn’t just look at my background — they looked at me as a person,” Brown said.

Brown took advantage of Pathways to Progress’ monthly life skills and financial literacy classes on topics like budgeting, building credit, crafting a resume and parenting strategies.

The regular one-on-one check-ins and advice from member adviser Sandy Watson, who took over as Brown’s adviser when she joined Pathways to Progress about five years ago, made all the difference, Brown said.

Watson works with 12 members at a time to assess needs, set goals and meet regularly to talk about progress. “The main thing is just to be there for them, for whatever they may need,” she said.

Right now, housing is “the number one issue” that her member households face, Watson said. There’s a lack of affordable housing in north St. Louis County, even for families with Section 8 vouchers. There also aren’t many higher-wage jobs around the area right now, she said, which causes dominos of other obstacles — access to reliable transportation, extended child care and more.

That’s why working with her members to address all aspects of their lives, over a multi-year period, is so needed, she said.

The most rewarding part of her job is “seeing people when they graduate — knowing where they started in the program and seeing all the progress they made,” Watson said. When she and her members agree that it’s time for them to graduate, she goes back through all of the goals they set over the years. “I say, congratulations! You’ve accomplished this, you’ve accomplished that. You’ve got this.”

Passing it on

Since she no longer feels like she is in constant crisis mode, Brown has been able to focus more on others, she said. With her regular 9-5 work hours, she can be home every evening to cook dinner and help her kids with homework. She’s passed on what she learned about creating and sticking to a budget to her two young adult children; she’s more patient and understanding with her tweens, drawing on the parenting strategies discussed in her classes.

Around Christmas, she and some relatives put together personal hygiene kits to pass out to people experiencing homelessness. Brown is an experienced hair braider, and she wants to start offering free hair braiding to the children of struggling moms in her social circles.

As a Pathways to Progress graduate, she’s always welcome back at the monthly classes and to speak with members currently enrolled in the program. And, of course, she keeps in touch with Watson. “She’ll text me or email me to ask me how I’m doing,” Brown said. “And she always tells me that if there’s anything I need, to let her know.”

Brown’s advice for anyone — Pathways to Progress members or not — is never to be afraid to ask for help. We all have the responsibility to take care of each other.

“No matter how successful you are, how much money you have — everybody needs somebody,” she said. “You’re always going to need somebody.”