A vision beyond

Goodwill Industries of Michiana begins introducing clients to Padua, a research-based program designed by Catholic Charities Fort Worth to move families out of poverty. (courtesy photo)

Low-income families in South Bend, Indiana, are reaping the benefits of a Catholic Charities Fort Worth program that empowers families to move permanently out of and beyond poverty. Goodwill Industries of Michiana in South Bend is the first mission site to replicate Padua, the research-based, client-led, long-term case-management program that CCFW introduced in 2015.

Goodwill Michiana serves 19 counties in Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois with programs such as charter high schools for adults, a maternal-child health program, a career and technical training academy, and workforce development. 

Sara Brodzinski, chief people officer for Goodwill Michiana, said Padua is the agency’s first long-term program focused on moving people beyond poverty. After months of in-person and virtual training with the Fort Worth Padua staff, Padua Michiana began serving clients on April 23. 

“This is the focus we wanted for Goodwill — to have a long-term impact with truly life-changing opportunities for people,” she said. 

Research based

Cindy Casey, head of CCFW Client Services, said replication was always part of the plan for Padua, named for St. Anthony of Padua, patron saint of the poor. She said Padua’s original vision had three goals: to walk with families on their path out of poverty; collect data necessary to determine the best path forward out of poverty; and to advocate for change nationwide.

“That third goal that we established in 2015 was to advocate for change. That’s what replication is all about,” she said. “To take what we’ve learned and share this nationwide — that’s real advocacy.” 

Data collection to measure Padua’s effectiveness began with its first 192 clients when the agency partnered with the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities at the University of Notre Dame to conduct a randomized controlled trial. 

Casey said with the benefit of research, Padua evolved from a mindset of relieving scarcity to one of empowering people to improve their own lives. 

“That’s where we really evolved,” Casey said. “To take what we learned through all this research and really make a difference.”

Results of the trial showed that Padua clients were 25 percent more likely to achieve full-time employment and earned a 46 percent higher income. Those who had been unhoused were 64 percent more likely to secure stable housing, while also reporting significant improvement in overall health and well-being. 

Mindset shift

“We move clients from a mindset of scarcity to a mindset of empowerment where they believe they are worthy and that they can do it. It’s all done through building emotional resiliency,” Casey said.

Brodzinski said emotional resilience is the element of Padua that resonates most with her. 

“They get to be with us as they fall down and get back up again and maybe fall again and get up again,” she said. “We all need that resilience. It’s a human need to build that strength and perseverance within — that you believe and know that you can get back up.”

Padua supports clients with two-person teams consisting of a case manager and case worker. 

“The case manager helps the client develop long-term goals,” Casey explained, “and then coaches for emotional resiliency — the ability to put together a plan, cope with change, identify challenges, and hold yourself accountable to your goals.” 

The case worker helps clients with resource planning — identifying a resource need and developing a plan for it. 

It’s more than just paying a bill, Casey explained.

“If someone needs financial assistance, we shouldn’t just pay someone’s rent,” she said. “There should be a plan put together.”

“All of this coaching is client-led,” she continued. “That means you are holding the client accountable to the goals they’ve told you they want to achieve.”

Other key features of Padua include strategic, flexible financial assistance, a reduced case load of no more than 25 clients per case manager, and ongoing training and coaching for staff. 

‘A perfect fit’

Brendan Perry, director of Padua National, said vetting for the first Padua mission site took two years, beginning with surveying 50 of the largest markets in the country to find which ones needed a program like Padua. The process also determined which communities have job markets that support a living wage, and which had networks of community partners and service providers that could optimize Padua’s impact.

Perry said South Bend, which has a poverty rate of 23 percent (double the national average), fits all the criteria. 

“Once there, we wanted to find the right organization to work with and that brought about a whole new set of vetting with 114 organizations,” Perry said, adding that the team used six criteria to decide which agency could successfully replicate Padua. 

“We were blown away with Goodwill … and the perfect fit they would be for Padua,” Perry said. “They succeeded on all six of the criteria, but first and most important is their deep belief in the people they serve.”

“Padua is data driven,” Perry added, “but leads with the heart.” 

He said Goodwill Michiana has operated other research-based programs, so they understand a research-backed model, like Padua, and can follow it with fidelity. 

Padua Michiana intends to serve 50 clients this year with plans to grow to four Padua teams serving 200 clients in coming years, Brodzinski said.

Perry noted that since its inception, Padua has served more than 1,000 North Texas families and now plans to grow steadily nationwide.

“Padua operates with a vision to become the new norm in reducing poverty across the country,” Perry said. “Working with Michiana is the first step in that journey and we hope to have many more in years to come.” 

Volunteer, contribute to, or learn more about Catholic Charities Fort Worth by visiting CatholicCharitiesFortWorth.org.