Iowa Lutheran-Catholic effort targets root causes of poverty

Published: 2006-03-01

DUBUQUE, Iowa (CNS) -- Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Dubuque has been invited by the Evangelical Lutheran Church to collaborate in building self-sufficiency among people with low incomes through a social ministry known as Barnabas Uplift. "This is the best service programming to come out of Iowa in decades," said Jim Yeast, director of Catholic Charities. "The mission is to assist local, faith-based, and community-based organizations to help build individual, family and community self-sufficiency," he told The Witness, Dubuque's archdiocesan newspaper. "We target working families whose income fluctuates between 100 and 200 percent of poverty -- between $19,350 and $38,700 a year for a family of four." The program is designed to empower people by reducing or eliminating the causes of poverty by providing access to economic opportunities that meet basic human needs. It is named after St. Barnabas, a disciple of Jesus, whose name means "son of encouragement."

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