About Us

Voice of the Poor (VOP) is the advocacy arm of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. With members representing every section and demographic of the nation, we identify those issues that are critical to those living in poverty and need, and help bring attention to them so communities and our elected representatives can help develop strategies and tactics that will provide the most effective and efficient means to reduce or eliminate poverty.

• Our main goals are:
  (1) Creating awareness and generating interest amongst Vincentians.
  (2) Encouraging members to speak in one unified voice as an extension of our service to the individuals and families served by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. We have stories to tell about our service, the individuals and families we serve, and compelling statistics about the numbers of people in need that we assist
  (3) Advocate at the local, state and national level with key decision makers and lawmakers to bring about systemic change ― in other words, to work for change that makes a lasting difference in the systems, institutions and people that create and sustain poverty and need.
• 
  We need to build grassroots support by having one person designated as a Voice of the Poor Conference Contact in every conference in the US.
  We can be effective by bringing the stories of those we serve poor to life, by recasting their stories so that those in our pews and our communities know that these are more than statistics.