Poor and Vulnerable

Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

Through lives of vowed poverty and common ownership CSA Sisters live simply (Constitution ¶17) so that some among them are able to minister among “those whose faith life or human dignity is threatened” (Constitution ¶4).

In an option for the most vulnerable, they have responded affirmatively to calls for service where many other communities would not go (Letter to a sister, February 10, 1884).

UNANIMA International 

UNANIMA International (UI), a Non-governmental organization (NGO) at the United Nations which CSA helped found in 2002. UI is an international coalition of 22 congregations of women religious and friends as well as their mission partners.

Tracy Abler serves as the CSA liaison to UI. The photo to the right, taken at the September 2022 board meeting at the Thomas Berry Place in Jamaica, New York, includes Tracy (row 2, second from right) and Sister Sue Seeby, CSA (row 1, second from right).

CSA supports the 2023 Civil Society Declaration, which UI Executive Director, Jean Quinn, DW presented at the 61st session of the UN Commission for Social Development in February 2023. 

Learn more about UNANIMA International on their website: https://unanima-international.org/

In May 2021, UI International published “The Intersections of Family Homelessness and Human Trafficking.” On page 22, they succinctly explain that "Human Trafficking and Homelessness are negative effects of vulnerability, and each causes vulnerability to the other." The report illustrates that "both require attention to the family unit, causes of conflict and trauma therein, and the systems and society which are reflected within families’ realities" and concludes with 20 recommendations for action. 

In 2018 UNANIMA International, in collaboration with Sophia Housing, launched a research project on Family Homelessness and Trauma:

"Family homelessness is a global epidemic that has resulted from shortages of affordable housing, increasing migration and socioeconomic crises across countries. It exposes children and parents to a high risk of traumatic issues. The research produced by NYU students examines the evolution of global family homelessness through evaluating the causes and experiences of family homelessness in three countries: Greece, the U.S. and India, and provides possible advocacy responses for UNANIMA International, and all those advocating for families experiencing homelessness."

"Homelessness/Displacement and Trauma is an issue that must be addressed as it is integral in achieving the 2030 agenda. Significant to both the Global North and the Global South, progress in achieving the eradication of these underpin and can hinder the success and achievement of all the Sustainable Development Goals. As advocates for individuals and families experiencing Homelessness and Displacement, UNANIMA International is trying to bring the voices of women and children from around the world to the global stage."

This short documentary highlights how UNANIMA International have brought attention to Family Homelessness within the United Nations system, including through education and advocacy efforts at the United Nations 58th Commission for Social Development (CSocD58).

In August of 2020, UNANIMA submitted the final research update and recommendations to the UN.

Read the August 2020 Research Update

Read the Executive Summary of the Capstone Project (2019)

Read the Introductory Research Document (2018)

The Hidden Faces of Homelessness: International Research on Families Volume Two

This publication includes case studies of Family Homelessness in Australia, The Philippines, Greece, Canada, and Indigenous Communities. Expert testimonies and voices of lived experience, paired with expert analysis on Family Homelessness/Displacement and Trauma, and literature reviews, give insight to the current reality of increasing Family Homelessness and housing insecurity around the globe and the varying manifestations of these issues. 

Family Homelessness Through the Lens of the United Nations 2030 Agenda Volume Two

This publication explores the intersections between Family Homelessness and topics of the United Nations 2030 Agenda, including Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 14, 15, and 17. It is concluded that Family Homelessness is a multilateral issue, which deserves attention from the United Nations and international community, including listening to the grassroots experiences and testimonies of homelessness, displacement, housing insecurity, and trauma.

The Poor People’s Campaign of 2020

“In 1968, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and many others called for a “revolution of values” in America. They sought to build a broad, fusion movement that could unite poor and impacted communities across the country. Their name was a direct cry from the underside of history: The Poor People’s Campaign. 

Today, the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival has picked up this unfinished work. From Alaska to Arkansas, the Bronx to the border, people are coming together to confront the interlocking evils of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, militarism and the war economy, and the distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism. We understand that as a nation we are at a critical juncture — that we need a movement that will shift the moral narrative, impact policies and elections at every level of government, and build lasting power for poor and impacted people. “

Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival

Wisconsin’s Poor People’s Campaign - wisconsin@poorpeoplescampaign.org.

NETWORK

NETWORK is a Catholic Sisters Lobby group which addresses several issues that impact families and the community: budget, healthcare, housing, income, taxes, women and families.

Learn more about the NETWORK Lobby