Saint Teresa of Calcutta once said, “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”

It’s with this spirit that David Dempsey approaches his job each day.

David, the Program Director for Catholic Charities St. Leo Residence for Veterans, decided to pursue a career in social work because of his strong desire to bring help and hope to marginalized communities. 

He spent many years working in children’s oncology, child protective services, and then with HIV/AIDS programs. But the issue of homelessness kept speaking to him, and growing up in a military family, the thought of homeless veterans was particularly troublesome. So, when the position as director of St. Leo Residence for Veterans became available in 2014, he knew he found the perfect opportunity to use his social work skills to address an issue he was passionate about.

“No one who served our country should be without a home,” David says.

One reason the job was so appealing is because the Catholic Charities St. Leo Campus for Veterans is the first and only completed project of its kind in the nation. Located in Chicago’s Auburn Gresham neighborhood, the Campus combines the St. Leo Residence for Veterans, the Pope John Paul II Residence for persons with physical disabilities, the VA-operated Outpatient Clinic and Resource Center, and the St. Leo Veterans Memorial Garden, which pays tribute to each branch of the military. In addition, residents are provided with comprehensive case management and supportive services that are crucial to helping them achieve and maintain stable housing and self-sufficiency. 

“Most people don’t know the challenges that homeless veterans face,” David says. “They assume PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), but for veterans to become homeless, there were typically issues—such as unemployment, lack of education, family violence, mental illness, or substance use—that were going on before their military service. Anything traumatic that happened during their military careers compounded these issues and makes the transition from active duty to civilian life even more challenging.”

David goes on, “Many veterans now facing homelessness heroically served their country and gained valuable skills to improve their lives,” he says. “But then the combination of trauma from live combat and any unresolved past issues work against them.” That is why St. Leo’s approach to providing both housing and services is critical to residents’ success.

The St. Leo Residence consists of 141 fully furnished studio apartments, expansive common recreational space, a computer lab, a fitness room, and multipurpose rooms for a variety of community meetings such as veteran-specific issues, Alcoholics Anonymous, and Narcotics Anonymous. In addition to the building amenities, each resident is assigned a Master’s-level Case Manager who helps them devise an Individualized Service Plan for maintaining stable housing, increasing income through benefits and/or employment, and addressing other barriers to self-sufficiency such as substance use, mental health issues, trauma, lack of education, and lack of social or familial supports. When appropriate, residents participate in Catholic Charities Veterans Employment Program and are connected to a variety of other support services through Catholic Charities or other community-based providers. The Case Managers work closely with the on-site VA clinic to help residents access services to achieve the greatest possible level of self-sufficiency, optimal health, and stability.

One of David’s most inspiring client success stories is a female resident who came from a domestic violence shelter and was suffering from a variety of issues including depression and anxiety. She was using a walker to get around due to her injuries. “In her own words,” David says, “she had a ‘very dim view of life.’” He continues, “In the beginning, she isolated herself in her room, but we didn’t give up on her. Slowly she began participating in our programming. She kept on engaging and challenging herself. She went to her medical appointments and took advantage of the other services. She worked on paying her bills and cleaning up her credit issues. Through her own tenacity and a little help from us, she had a complete turnaround. By the time she left St. Leo, she was able to buy her own home through a VA program and was walking entirely on her own! It is a magnificent story!”

Grateful for the opportunity to work at Catholic Charities, David is constantly motivated by his dedicated team of four Case Managers and one Program Assistant who give their very best to each resident.

“It is tough work, but my team loves coming here each day,” he says. “We get to witness the extraordinary resiliency and fortitude of our residents. They keep moving forward, keep striving, even with everything they’ve confronted and continue to confront. It’s hard for vets to accept help—they’ve been trained as soldiers, as protectors. It’s hard for them to be vulnerable and accept help for themselves. It is a privilege to assist them on their journey to peace and stability.”