Editor’s note: Each week, the San Antonio Report publishes a brief synopsis of the weekly bigcitysmalltown podcast hosted by Robert Rivard, co-founder of the Report.
Dawn White-Fosdick has hope for the future of San Antonio’s working-poor families and homeless population.
Joining Robert Rivard on his bigcitysmalltown podcast, she says “Don’t be discouraged. Great work is occuring.”
White-Fosdick has been president and CEO of Christian Assistance Ministry (CAM) for the past 15 years. She likes to refer to the ministry as the emergency room of social services — you don’t need to be a certain age, live in a certain zip code or have a certain ailment to receive help.
CAM is here to assist anyone in crisis.
“You can walk in the door and you can receive assistance with a variety of things,” White-Fosdick says. “Food, clothing, financial assistance” and even ID recovery for people needing to gain access to birth certificates or other important forms.
The ministry also provides school supplies, school uniforms, Christmas toys and haircuts for employment.
Crisis can come in different forms, and can change day-to-day. One of the main issues that CAM faces is helping individuals struggling with homelessness.
The ministry has already surpassed their yearly goal of helping 400 people off the streets, a fact that White-Fosdick says is encouraging. But a roadblock is the lack of affordable housing.
Many homeless individuals have already received assistance for other issues, and are just waiting for a housing opportunity.
White-Fosdick sees progress in collaborating with other organizations, such as Haven for Hope and SAMMinistries on these issues. Other programs, like Ready To Work, are also helping with fighting homelessness.
“We have to be a little patient with these things,” she says.
Later on in the conversation, she adds “In our city, we have to avail ourselves to every option.”
CAM works on a $3 million yearly budget — of which less than 10% comes from United Way and city funding — and uses donated space to help more than 70,000 individuals annually.
Over the last 15 years, White-Fosdick has seen a lot of changes, especially a rise in working-poor families with fixed incomes needing assistance. With rising food and housing costs, CAM has needed to adjust how they offer help.
The ministry intially would provide groceries for needy families once every three months. Now, it’s once a month.
“I love that San Antonio does care about people,” she adds. “We are a city that struggles with poverty, yet we’re a city that really is a shining light across the state of Texas for the innovation and community efforts that provide for those that need things in our community.”
