Catholic Charities Providing help. Creating hope.

Plight of rural poor and migrant farm workers
to be focus of new Catholic Charities director

By Judy Bokorney
Web Site Editor

The needs of Catholic Charities clients varies depending on which community they live in the ten-county Diocese of Venice of Southwest Florida. Needy residents of Naples, Fort Myers and Sarasota typically have different obstacles than those residing in Immokalee, Arcadia or Wauchula.

“In the rural areas there tends to be unique difficulties because of a lack of resources, such as no public transportation, where there is a greater need for residents to find ways to access social services,” said George Drobinski, chief operating officer of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice. “We are trying to maximize the availability and quality of service for people in rural areas of our diocese.” 

Catholic Charities created the job of Rural Services Director a few years ago to address the issues that rural poor and migrant farm workers face today. “We are constantly trying to expand our services to areas were insufficient assistance is identified,” Drobinski said.

Assessing those needs will be the job of new Rural Services Director Julie Hamilton who came to Catholic Charities after 20 years of social work service and administrative experience. Hamilton has worked with the Florida Department of Children and Families primarily in Immokalee and with Hospice in Naples.

Hamilton recently obtained a master’s degree in public administration with an emphasis on non-profit organizations.

“What fascinates me most about Catholic Charities is that services offered are unique in every community,” Hamilton said. “Catholic Charities does not duplicate services already in place but collaborates with other agencies and sets out to fill in the gap where help is needed. That is what I will be doing in the rural areas of the diocese,” she said.

Hamilton said she hopes to expand existing services in Wauchula, LaBelle and Clewiston and begin assistance in Moorehaven. She will also oversee the two largest Catholic Charities rural offices in Immokalee and Arcadia.

“Advocacy for the farm worker also is an important part of my job,” Hamilton said. She is a member of the Coalition of Florida Farm Workers whose purpose is to better the standard of living for agricultural workers and rural poor through a variety of services and programs. “As my predecessor did before me, I will continue to remain focused on the plight of these people because the issues that plague them have not gone away,” she said.

The largest programs offered at the rural Catholic Charities offices are financial assistance, immigration services and education programs. Hamilton said Catholic Charities will remain committed to those programs.

 “The financial assistance program, where individuals and families get help with payment of rent or mortgage and utilities, is often what keeps clients from falling into despair,” Hamilton said. “Sometimes all a hard working family needs is one-month’s help with bills to get them over a rough patch so that they don’t end up on the street.” Catholic Charities of DeSoto County has the Help On Wheels recreational vehicle to goes out to rural areas to dispense financial assistance.

Immigration services, Hamilton said, offers a bright future for clients. “When undocumented workers become documented, not only do they benefit but we all benefit because they evolve into contributing members of our communities,” she said.

Educational programs, such as after-school tutoring, English as a second language classes, housing counseling and the School on Wheels program that travels to isolated migrant and immigrant women to teach them conversational English all empower the rural poor and migrant farm workers, according to Hamilton. “These programs move clients towards self-sufficiency,” she said.

“I feel very blessed that I found this opportunity to be part of such a mission-driven organization,” Hamilton said. “I will do my best to serve the poor of rural Southwest Florida.”

To contact Julie Hamilton call 239-657-6242 or email her at Julie@guadalupess.info.

Photo: Catholic Charities Rural Services Director Julie Hamilton stands along side the Help On Wheels recreational vehicle located in Arcadia. The RV is used to reach out to the rural and isolated poor by bringing assistance to them.