Leigh Sempeles is the Executive Director of the Dayton Chapter of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Below is her tremendous story of dedication and commitment to bettering the lives of others.
What is your background?
As for my professional life, upon graduation from law school, I practiced law for several years in the general practice areas of domestic relations, probate and bankruptcy and I remain on active status as a member of the Ohio Bar. Prior to joining St. Vincent de Paul as Executive Director in December, 2006, I was employed for more than 20 years at LexisNexis holding management positions in strategy, marketing and product development. Also, periodically, I serve as an adjunct associate professor in the MBA program at the University of Maryland University College.
I am an active community volunteer and board member with several non-profit groups in the Dayton area. I enjoy reading and traveling – particularly to historical sites. I live in Springboro with my husband, Mark where we are close proximity to my immediate family including two adorable nieces.
What are all of the ways in which St. Vincent's of Dayton serves our community?
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Dayton District Council has its foundation in its 36 Conferences, which are based in local parishes and colleges. Partnering with the Community Store and the Food Pantry, the Conferences aid those in poverty in their local communities. For adults and families who become homeless in Dayton and Montgomery County, emergency assistance is provided at two 24-hour Gateway Shelters operated by St. Vincent de Paul. The organization also offers transitional and permanent supportive housing programs designed to help our neighbors in need achieve housing stability by providing case management and life skills training to guests referred from our shelters. These include programs such as the DePaul Center and Kettering Commons. We also operate a new Deconstruction Depot with items from local homes that are being deconstructed by DaytonWorks Plus.
How has the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Dayton grown over the years?
The Society first began operation in Dayton in 1948 and the number of conferences has grown steadily over the years including three new conferences in the last two years. Twenty-five years ago, conference members who are known as Vincentians recognized the need for a homeless shelter in the community and began operations in an abandoned fire house. From our work with the homeless, we realized that many need more than just housing to maintain a stable life and we gradually began adding housing programs where we can support men, women and families emotionally and help them address the personal, financial and education/employment issues they face. Our most recent housing program addition has been the opening of St. Vincent de Paul Kettering Commons which provides permanent supportive housing to families with a parent who has medical or mental handicaps have led to chronic homelessness. Our Community Store supports the work of conferences, shelters and housing programs and also is home to our Food Pantry and the Deconstruction Depot.
How many people does St. Vincent's of Dayton help yearly?
Last year we served more than 80,000 people in the Miami Valley across all of our programs.
How many people work for St. Vincent's of Dayton?
We have approximately 100 employees who are supported in their work by more than 1,000 volunteers each month.
Are any of your employees former guests at one of St. Vincent's shelters?
Yes, several of our employees are graduates of our housing programs who began their journey at our shelter. A few have gone on to receive degrees (including Masters) in counseling and social work and become case managers. They are a valuable addition to our team because of their ability to identify and understand the experiences of our guests. To quote the theme of our annual Friends of the Poor® Walk – they truly have “Walked a Mile in My Shoes.”
On whom do you depend for your funding?
We are blessed that we have a diversified funding mix including government grants, gifts from private individuals, corporations and community foundations and several for-profit entities. St. Vincent de Paul is the owner and property manager of the Job Center and we also own and operate the St. Vincent de Paul Community Store and the Deconstruction Depot. In addition, we are operating a car donation program and a recycling program through our Community Store operations.
How have your finances changed since the start of the economic recession?
Our biggest issue has been the tremendous increase in demand for our programs, which increases our operational expenses. And, like all area non-profits, we have seen a decrease in the dollars directly received from private funders and corporations. To meet the needs of our community, our fundraising efforts have been focused on expanding the number of private individuals investing in our work and being good stewards of every dollar received. I am proud of the fact that our administrative and development overhead remains at a very low level.
What has been St. Vincent's of Dayton's biggest challenge that it has overcome?
As St. Vincent de Paul Dayton has grown it has developed a significant number of operations which until recently operated largely independently. Collectively, our programs provide a full continuum of care to address the needs of those struggling with poverty or homelessness.
Four years ago, our Board made a decision to improve the business operations of their $8 million dollar organization and began a search for a business leader to lead the organizations in working collaboratively and with greater efficiently. I was honored to be selected as their new Executive Director in December, 2006.
Since that time, my team and I have embarked on an ambitious initiative to transform our programs into efficient operations that share resources and best practices and make purchases collectively. We identify and act on opportunities to work smarter including outsourcing services best performed by vendor partners including human resources and information technology. We excel at our core competencies and actively develop collaborations and partnerships with other social service organizations that drive stronger services and best utilize our resources.
What are St. Vincent's of Dayton's goals for the future?
We currently have 92 units of supportive housing available for men, women and families. There is a tremendous need for these services and St. Vincent de Paul has a long history of success in truly transforming lives through our existing programs. We are actively pursuing opportunities to expand our number of units.
Operationally, we will continue to focus on process improvement and developing additional partnerships with other social service organizations that will enable us to provide the most effective services to our clients and use our resources wisely.
What are the most significant challenges that St. Vincent's of Dayton's guests currently face?
There is a lack of affordable housing in our community coupled with an accessibility of good paying jobs. Minimum wage is $7.35/hour but in Montgomery County the living wage is actually $8.55/hour. The living wage is defined as the 40-hour/week hourly rate required for self-sufficiency. A single parent with one child would need to earn $17.16/hour. Without proper education, advanced jobs skills and a market availability of jobs at this salary level, individuals are in a constant battle with poverty. For more information on the living wage please visit http://www.livingwage.geog.psu.edu/counties/39113.
What is the most effective way to address those challenges?
City of Dayton and Montgomery County leaders have embarked on a 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness and Reduce Overall Homelessness. The development of the Gateway Shelter concept and the opening of the Gettysburg Gateway for Men represent the first phase of this comprehensive plan. The next phases focus on expanding the availability of supportive housing and affordable housing. The 2009 Homeless Solutions Report is available on our website. http://www.stvincentdayton.org/documents/2009HomelessSolutionsReportFINAL.PDF.
How can we assist St. Vincent's of Dayton?
To meet the ongoing needs of our clients we have a continuous need for financial resources, in-kind donations and volunteer services. Financial gifts can include cash, stocks or providing for St. Vincent de Paul Dayton in your will. In-kind donations of food, clothing, bedding and furniture relieve our expenses and enable us to fill vouchers for needed items to our clients. We also accept vehicle donations which we auction to fund our programs. Donations of real estate are also welcomed. A house or an apartment building could expand our housing programs. An office building could be a new revenue source. Our volunteers are the lifeblood of our organization and we can make use of assistance across all of our programs. Sorting donations and doing laundry, assisting clients with resumes and interviewing, planning fundraising events and serving in our conferences are just a few of our opportunities for you to serve. Additional details can be found on our website http://www.stvincentdayton.org/ or by calling us at (937) 222-5555.
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