“Jesus’ command to his disciples…
means working to eliminate the structural causes of poverty and to promote the integral development of the poor as well as small daily acts of solidarity in meeting the real needs which we encounter.”

– Pope Francis

BY ANDY BARTON

Merriam-Webster defines poverty as, “the state of being poor; lack of money or possession.” That seems easy enough to identify but understanding the specific causes of poverty is far more complicated. Poverty is nuanced and systemic, different for every individual experiencing it, and perpetuated by breakdowns in society’s infrastructure. Yet for most of the people we see at Catholic Charities, the condition of poverty can be traced back to three types of crisis: financial, health, and social.

One of the best ways to think about it is by imagining three cups of water, each filled to just below the top. The first cup represents a person’s financial position. When this cup is full, we have the money we need to live comfortably: a secure job with a sustainable wage, savings, and housing. The second cup is health. A full cup indicates the absence of chronic diseases such as diabetes or high blood pressure: no injuries, addictions, or struggles with mental health. The third cup is what we call social capital and when full it represents a vibrant, positive, and supportive network of family and friends.

The reality is that no one is fortunate enough to have all three cups full at once or at least, not for long. In the days and weeks of a lifetime, the levels will rise and fall. We get sick or hurt, our social connections wane, and our financial situation fluctuates. The changes are inherent to the constant movement and variability of human life but for those of us who remain stable, those changes impact one cup at a time.

For example, let’s say a person’s financial cup is drained due to job loss and lack of savings. That situation might be uncomfortable but if their health is good and they have family and friends to lean on, chances are they will get through the challenging time. The person “pours” from the full cups to fill the empty one.

However, if that same person has a low financial cup and is estranged from family and friends, the problems mount quickly. Those social networks are critical to our resiliency, both financially and emotionally. Without that support – the cup to pour from – it is exponentially more difficult to overcome a crisis in money or health.
Similarly, when a financial crisis coincides with an empty health cup due to chronic disease, a debilitating accident, or addiction, overcoming the challenge becomes nearly impossible. The health crisis hampers employment, medical expenses mount, or the darkness of addiction takes over.

The reality for those who come to Catholic Charities is that none of their cups are full. This is why our work is distributed over 60 different service areas. It takes different interventions to fill those cups. We fill the financial cup through rent assistance, employment support, and housing navigation. The health cup is filled with nutritious meals, groceries from the food pantry, and access to free mental and physical health services. We fill the social cup through the support of family stability programs, parenting classes, and support of reunification with support networks.

Most importantly, it takes people to fill those cups: Staff to help navigate challenging systems, volunteers to prepare and serve meals, and donors to provide critical financial support for all those services. As a supporter of Catholic Charities, you are part of a team that helped over 14,500 people last year in their struggle to rise out of poverty. Thank you for pouring compassion into the empty cups of our neighbors in need.

Andy Barton is the CEO of Catholic Charities of Central Colorado. This column was first published in the February 2024 issue of Helping Hands Newsletter.