The HELP center is a program run by the Kootenai County St. Vincent de Paul Society that provides assistance to the poor, disadvantaged, and people facing a crisis. This organization provides a variety of services to people in need, including financial assistance, legal aid, and access to food and shelter.
If you live in the Coeur d’Alene area or County, and need help, please call the HELP Center. This is where people apply for assistance, and where the assistance comes from. St. Vincent de Paul uses volunteers to meet with applicants, sometimes at their homes. There are programs that can give you financial assistance to pay for things like bills, loans, and referrals. The Rapid Rehousing Program is one example.
HELP Center programs in Kootenai County
The Homelessness Prevention and Re-housing program provides assistance to people in Region 1 who are at risk of becoming homeless or who are already homeless. The program offers rent and utility assistance to help people stay in their homes or find new housing, as well as other services to help people get back on their feet. The preference from St. Vincent de Paul is to offer counseling and emergency financial help as soon as possible, before an eviction occurs. This policy is cheaper for the government because it decreases the chance of the tenant becoming chronically homeless, and also reduces the tenant’s exposure to risk factors, such as deteriorating health.
Applicants for assistance will need to schedule a meeting with a Case Manager at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Center. Income will need to be verified in order to be eligible for assistance. If you are eligible, you can fill out an application for a government grant to cover the costs of what may have caused you to become homeless, such as rent, unpaid water, heat, or electric bills, or a lack of transportation. If the church can’t help you pay your bills, look for other grants that can assist you.
The St. Vincent de Paul County Housing Locator helps families find and enroll with local housing providers. They can both find a new apartment and get help with moving into it. If the client is homeless and it is winter, they can go to the Coeur d’Alene Saint Vincent de Paul warming center. There are also emergency overnight shelters for men and women who are homeless in the community.
The HELP center also focuses on helping veterans. If you need help with anything, from food to housing to job placement, you can find it in Kootenai County. There are plenty of resources available, including free food, government grants, and USDA commodities. Members of our services are given priority over others by Saint Vincent.
A soup kitchen is a place where free hot meals are served. Father Bills is a kitchen located in Kootenai County that provides meals for the poor, homeless, and lonely a few times per week. The food and meals served at homeless shelters are often critical to the health and nutrition of homeless children, senior citizens and low income adults. Having access to a laundry and showers is also important for these individuals.
The Society of Saint Vincent in Coeur d’Alene is open to anyone who needs a meal, regardless of who they are. As an example, they also serve persons who abuse drugs or alcohol, or those that live in night shelters. Many of these clients would not be able to get adequate nutrition or healthy food from any other source.
Father Bills is a location that is attached to the Saint Vincent thrift store in Kootenai County. The site is available every day of the week. This store has a lot of different items and sometimes has big sales. It means that the community can save a lot of money by shopping at a store like this.
Kootenai County St. Vincent de Paul’s main goal is to break the cycle of homelessness and generational poverty. Clients receive in-home case management with an emphasis on financial literacy. The church’s case management services will be tailored to each individual’s needs, rather than forcing everyone into a one-size-fits-all model.
The Society of Saint Vincent partners with other local non-profit organizations in Kootenai County to help connect clients with additional community resources. This will be needed based on what is required. The hotline provides access to resources such as phone and computer access, addresses of warming/cooling centers, information and referral, linkage to medical and free dental services, and more. There is another option called Legal Link, where volunteer lawyers can give free advice on different topics.
The Kootenai County St. Vincent de Paul has a HELP center at their main administrative office. Washington St. We only accept applications during certain hours, and you can find our address at 201 E. Washington St. The Harrison, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814 location can be reached by phone at 208-664-3095.