Q: Would you walk me through the evolution from your work when you first arrived to where you are now?

A: When I first got here in ‘87, I was hired to do two things: one was the director of Social Action [--Brian is still the Diocesan Director for Social Action--] and the pro-life director in Catholic Charities.  That was, literally, to be the chief advocate for the church, to engage people in defense of human dignity and human rights—looking at the issues around abortion, patient-assisted suicide and euthanasia, and explaining the church’s position to the community and anyone who wanted to listen.

Social Action is about being a lead advocate for the church in economic and social justice issues. So, that was my full-time job. So, basically, government relations and public policy and articulation in the community of what the church believes in that wide range of issues. Part of this was three other programs: the first was the Catholic Campaign for Human Development—a national and local funding source for community organizing and economic development. Common Wealth Inc. had just begun [in '86] when I moved here, so my job was to try to get them off the ground. I got on the board in ‘88, and we went after a five-year economic development grant from the U.S. Bishops, which is a big chunk of money to get it going, to support worker-owned businesses and community development.

The other big ministry chunk that I had was the Catholic Relief Services, which is disaster response: local, international and national… mostly the international side. My job was to raise money for earthquakes in Peru, tsunamis in Indonesia—anything where the church overseas might need some money. So, my job was to be the fund-raiser for international disaster relief.

In ‘93, I started to give up the pro-life position and started our Catholic Charities housing corporation, and I became the President and CEO of that organization, as well as the Social Action director and the pro-life director—which I gave up in ‘96.

In November of 2001, I became the Executive Director of Catholic Charities and health affairs for the diocese.

Q: And you have been on the national board how long?

A: I’ve been on two national boards. The first was the national advisory council for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. That’s a layman and laywoman from every region, chosen by each region’s bishop for a five-year term, to advise the bishops on all of their policies and practices. I was one of sixty and became the secretary of that board, then its chairman in 2003-2004. And that was during the breaking open of these child-abuse crises, so those were interesting meetings.

Q: We won’t get into that.

A: That’s another issue. After that, my tenure expired and I had to leave.

Q: I’m sure after all that excitement, you were just anxious to stay on as long as possible.

A: We had … we had worked hard in that time period. Then, right after that, I took about a year off, then was elected to represent this region—Michigan, Ohio—on our national Catholic Charities board. I was elected by my peers to serve on that board in ‘05, and then I was just elected National Secretary at the annual meeting in September.

Q: What’s next?

A: Coming back to work here every day? [laughs] That’s it, because my term will be done. I have two more years left on the national board.

Q: But you’re plugged in here for good?

A: I’m very happy here. It’s all very exciting. I enjoy being here, it’s always a challenge. I’m very excited about this whole asset-based banking thing. I think that’s just the next step that we’ve not been able to capture. We tried, with Pat Rosenthal, to start a credit union about eight years ago. At that time, there was a community development credit union movement.

A credit union is defined by its field of membership. Typically, you have people all who work for the Diocese start their own credit union. People who work for the University start their own credit union. And there was a place called community development credit union—meaning that people who live in certain geographic areas who were under a certain income level could become a member of their own credit union. As we were planning that, the U.S. Supreme Court was hearing a case about: could existing credit unions change their field of membership to include people who were not in their original charter.

They decided it could petition to change its field of membership, and 717 Credit Union—originally for Delphi workers—petitioned to change their membership, so that anyone who lived in Mahoning, Trumbull, and Columbiana County could be a member. So there was no need for a community development credit union. I think we all thought that would be a magical thing—that because you could, you would. But it hasn’t worked out, and we want to increase community participation in that effort.

Q: You talked about seeing the Incubator as a bright spot here. Are there some other bright spots you’re looking at and hopeful for?

A: We’ve got the Cobalt and the Cruze, so that’s hopeful. I think another bright spot is 2010—at least trying to engage in a conversation about how we should target things. I think another is the Hope VI on Arlington Heights and Wirt Street—giving a whole new feel to a very stressed-out public-housing community. This triggers other things, like people trying to beautify their neighborhoods. Another is when Common Wealth, Choice, and Jubilee were trying on their own to do tax-credit housing. Three non-profits got together on the East Side of the city, and the mechanisms were in place… that’s a great story about taking an area and really revitalizing it together.

Q: Why was it done so far out there?

A: It’s about land acquisition. There’s a very sophisticated mechanism and formula for which census tracks what the state’s looking for in terms of tax credits.

Q: It almost seems like a reservation out there.

A: I know, and there’s a sense of … Unfortunately, because different messages are given out every single year—they change the tax formula every year—we have a lot of scattered sites, and it was very difficult for the groups to work together. There was statewide competition and only certain tracts were eligible… But I think that was a bright spot. At least they were able to do it.

Now, tax credits are… the formula’s changing again. Smaller communities now have the benefit over large-size communities. Prior to that, they emphasized mid-size communities, so we had the benefit over Cleveland and Columbus and Cincinnati, who got it all before. So, the state tries to move around tax credits, and it’s shifting away from mid-size communities. Who knows when the next round will come our way? But maybe we have enough of tax-credit housing.

Q: I was just going to ask: do we need more housing?

A: I think we probably need more rehab. But tax credits aren’t friendly toward rehab. A good thing about Common Wealth, Choice, and Jubilee, is they insisted that for every so many new homes, there would be attention paid to rehabs.

Q: There’s also the question of whether the people who need the housing are open to rehab. They’ve demanded new housing because they thought that’s what they deserved.

A: Right. And quite honestly, some city officials were doing the same thing.

Q: Is there more tax revenue for them?

A: No. Well, perhaps when the house is sold. But I think people are beginning to say, “If the suburbs could have new housing, why can’t the city?” And there’s something to be thought through there.  But the actual application process for the tax-credit housing just isn’t favorable to rehabs.

Q: The mechanisms that are in place: are they geared toward the suburban mindset?

A: Nationally, the message was: urban areas have high costs and low availability. So, to build in the cities makes sense. When it comes to a town like Youngstown, it’s a problem. Places like Columbus and Cincinnati probably benefitted from it, because they do have a higher-cost market and availability issues. While Youngstown, specifically has more of a rehab issue. So, I think it was a national policy on how to do housing, and when it hits Youngstown, you just have a little crisis there.

I think the places that were built by Common Wealth, Choice, and Jubilee were priced right. They were the real costs. So, the people who got into those houses will probably be able to maintain their assets, if we did the work right initially.

Q: In terms of providing additional opportunities to those who are in need, who are perhaps likely to be less well educated—and we’re hoping GM can stay at least where it is. So, we’re looking, at least at this point, to the Incubator to provide additional jobs and growth, but those jobs may not be available—based on capability and education—to those most in need. What’s the missing link? What else are we looking for?

A: The missing link is probably higher education. One event is the Beatitude House, whose been able to be focused on helping women to live in a supportive setting while they go to at least a two-year degree or a trade. The other approach is the community college idea. I don’t know all the politics and details and economics of it, but I hope we can figure that out. I think there is a missing link—people who can’t afford a four-year college. If they could get their feet wet with a two-year degree, I think that’s a great start.

Q: Were you a part of getting that started?

A: I was part of the early focus groups and some early conversations. And we’re trying to help them with some surveys of our clients to see if they would use it. We’re trying to be as supportive as possible to the whole process. People need to have, like you just mentioned, for the high-tech jobs and medical jobs, they need more than a high-school education. I think it can really be a win-win for everybody.

Here’s what’s coming up next for Catholic Charities in Youngstown:

Catholic Charities Needs Your Help To
“Keep The Kids Warm”

With increasing unemployment levels and foreclosures, more families living in the Diocese of Youngstown are in need of basic material assistance to get through the months ahead.  Some will need help with utilities; others with food.  Others will need assistance buying diapers and baby formula.   During the past year, Catholic Charities has seen a 20-25% increase in need for emergency assistance. 

Heat during the winter is a basic human need and utility payments are a pressing need for Catholic Charities clients.  To address this increasing need, Catholic Charities is conducting an appeal to “Keep the Kids Warm.”  All of the money raised during this collection will be used to provide direct services to your community and ensure that your neighbor’s heat is not shut off.   

To make a difference in the life of a family in your community, you can make a donation online or by contacting your local Catholic Charities agency for additional opportunities.  For more information, contact the Office of Social Services  (charities@youngstowndiocese.org) at 330-744-8451.