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Saint Vincent de Paul urges multiyear city partnership as rent, medication and pantry demand spike
Summary
Saint Vincent de Paul Cincinnati told council the charity is seeing record surges in rent/utilities requests and pharmacy demand, described outcomes showing high retention after assistance, and asked the city to consider multiyear investments and tighter coordination across nonprofits.
Caitlin Lanehart of Saint Vincent de Paul Cincinnati told the committee that the charity’s role is “homelessness prevention,” and that recent surges in rent and utility applications — and in pharmacy requests — underscore the need for sustained collaboration and funding.
Lanehart said that when October’s surge hit, the organization spent down parts of its budget in days instead of the usual weeks and documented spikes such as 97 families served in three hours at a pantry event. She cited program metrics: neighborhood pantries (15), more than 1,000 regular volunteers and pharmacy distributions that have reached more than 1,000,000 medications over the organization’s history.
Saint Vincent’s presentation included budget and capacity details. Lanehart said the organization currently distributes between $4 million and $5 million annually for rent and housing‑related assistance and that helping 5,000 households with an estimated $1,500 per household to prevent eviction would total about $7.5 million in one year.
The group described operating three pharmacy locations (Western Hills, Milford and an outreach center) and running training and referral partnerships to reduce pressure on emergency rooms. Lanehart also highlighted the organization’s leverage of in‑kind donations and volunteer networks that expand purchasing power.
Lanehart asked the city for multiyear funding commitments and stronger referral and data coordination among nonprofits, the city and funders so agencies can shift from emergency “band‑aid” responses toward longer‑term prevention and systems improvements.
Vice Mayor (speaker) and other council members praised the prevention focus and asked for more detail on food sources and partnerships; Lanehart cited partnerships with food rescues such as Last Mile and long‑standing ties with city funding during the COVID era.
The committee received the presentation but did not vote on any new funding at the meeting.
