POTS is a program widely recognized for its unwavering commitment to addressing root causes of poverty, always in an atmosphere of respect and compassion. Its mission is to be a loving community that nourishes the basic needs and hungers of all who seek assistance.

The program began in 1982, when Sr. Jane Iannucelli, SC joined with Tim Boon and Fr. Ned Murphy, SJ in simply offering hot soup to the desperately poor in their midst on Fordham Road. With a growing realization of the complexity of forces that keep people in poverty, POTS has expanded to offer multiple services, making it a powerful catalyst for change in people’s lives.

These services include a Community Dining program that serves hundreds of hot meals each day, a clothing program, a food pantry serving over 600 families several times a month, medical care, pastoral counseling, psychotherapy, free legal services and more.

An essential, guiding principle at POTS is that visitors in need are guests, regarded always with dignity, respect and unconditional love.  All services are provided in this spirit of compassion.

In recent years POTS was awarded the First Annual Visionary Award by City Harvest, the largest food rescue program in the world.

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The Robert Fox Memorial Shelter, established and directed by Sr. Florence Speth, SC, provides emergency housing for homeless women and their children in an atmosphere of love and compassion. Hundreds of families have been helped to self-sufficiency over the past nineteen years at Fox House.

Each year Fox House becomes a temporary home for approximately thirty women and children, who find not only shelter but a sense of spirituality and community that is absent in the city shelter system. For poverty-stricken women and children, many of whom are fleeing abusive situations, this supportive foundation is crucial to becoming self-sufficient.

Special programs at Fox House include weekly parenting classes led by Sr. Pat Brennan, SC who holds a masters’ degree in social work, giving mothers the tools to break cycles of poverty and neglect. Other services include children’s recreation programs and assistance with finding appropriate social services, education, job training and housing resources.

Former Fox House residents have gone on to earn GED’s and even college degrees as they begin new careers, creating new opportunities not only for themselves but for their families. Warm visits from previous residents attest to the success of Fox House, and the many formerly homeless children who are now thriving thanks to this ministry.

Since 1996 the Elizabeth Seton Women’s Center (ESWC) on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, directed by Sr. Arleen Ketchum, SC, has promoted the holistic development of women of all ages, races, economic and religious backgrounds. Through a variety of spiritual, educational and artistic programs, the center helps build women’s self-esteem and empowers them to create positive changes in their own lives.

The center’s mission is especially critical for women struggling with poverty, domestic violence and other difficult circumstances, who need a place where they are heard, supported and uplifted. For this reason no one is ever turned away from ESWC because of an inability to pay.

ESWC has a full calendar with dozens of programs held monthly.

Hundreds of women from throughout the New York metropolitan area come each year to participate in workshops and groups, exploring varied topics such as grief, stress release, self esteem and healthy boundaries, images of God, aging, poetry, dating, dance and more. 

The nurturing atmosphere at ESWC gives birth to spiritual empowerment for women not only as individuals, but as family and community members. Ultimately, by helping women find their true voices and discover the strength within, ESWC fosters women’s ability to create change in the world in the tradition of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton.

Click to visit The Elizabeth Seton Women's Center web site »

Directed and co-founded by Sr. Dorothy Gallant, SC, LEFSA is a unique city-wide program that creates faith communities with homeless persons in shelters, drop-in centers, a drug rehabilitation program and an HIV/AIDS residence. It fills a critical void for those in the city’s shelter system who are offered a cot and perhaps a meal, without the spiritual support necessary for climbing out of severe poverty.

The heart of LEFSA is its program of faith-based community gatherings, which serve hundreds in shelters and other settings each week. The gatherings allow participants to share their experiences of God, inspiring and lifting one another up. Many of LEFSA’s Team Members who lead the gatherings were once homeless themselves, and have profound compassion and understanding. They also model a way out of poverty and homelessness for participants, showing them that with God’s help, miracles are indeed possible.

LEFSA also offers practical resources including referrals for services in housing, education, employment, drug rehabilitation and health care. A Weekly Street Ministry brings food and compassion to those living on the streets, who are truly on the outside and in dire need of support.

Casa de Esperanza (translated as “House of Hope”) is a vibrant, welcoming center dedicated to improving the lives of newly immigrant men, women and children.

Directed by Srs. Jean Bocian, SC and Terese McElroy, SC, it has expanded over the past ten years to meet the complex set of needs faced by this population.

Thousands have been served by Casa de Esperanza, and the numbers are growing. While the majority of visitors have come to the U.S. from Mexico and Latin America, others are from countries such as Haiti and as far away as China. Most have little education or other resources. What they do have is a strong desire to work hard, and to make a better life for their families.

The center helps families reach this goal by offering daily English language classes, job and computer training, and citizenship classes. Childcare is provided so mothers can focus on developing new skills that will allow them to provide for their families. Visitors are also assisted in navigating their way through the complex health care, education, employment and housing systems in their new land. And because many are in severe poverty, Casa de Esperanza also offers emergency food and clothing for those in need.

This support is always provided in a welcoming spirit, honoring visitors’ dreams of opportunity and hope. Those served are deeply grateful for the friendship and community they find at Casa de Esperanza, and are eager to give back once they are able.