Father Joe Gives President’s Commencement Speech Thumbs Up
Clear and Difficult Task Made Easier by Programs Such as Those Offered at St. Vincent’s

   SAN DIEGO — President George W. Bush’s commencement speech at the University of Notre Dame yesterday hit very close to home for Father Joe Carroll, head of St. Vincent de Paul Village.

   "I feel the president set the tone for what will be a revamping of traditional support avenues for religious- and community-based outreach organizations," says Carroll, who viewed the address from his office. "His goal is to generate more funding for programs like ours and to see that, nationally, more of these types of organizations are developed."

   Bush touched on many issues facing the nation’s poor, including lack of job skills, illiteracy, addiction, abuse and mental illness, all contributing factors to homelessness which have been successfully treated at St. Vincent’s.

   The president even mentioned South Bend Center for the Homeless, an organization which based its program on the St. Vincent’s model of providing all services on one site. The Indiana outreach even enlisted the expert opinion of Father Joe himself.

   "There’s only one problem with groups like South Bend Center for the Homeless," Bush said. "They’re aren’t enough of them," adding the government’s primary goal should be funding programs, leaving the management of those programs to the organizations themselves.

   "The fact that the president brought attention to this growing problem and his solutions to it by sharing it with a national audience is very encouraging," Father Joe says. "It’s heartening to know that the dedicated work of community-based organizations is finally being recognized and, hopefully, his endorsement of these programs will be the catalyst for large corporations and others to step forward and help us continue our success."

   Father Joe will be available for comment on yesterday’s commencement address and the White House Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives until 6 p.m. today and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow. Please call (619) 525-1608 to schedule an interview.

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