Year Honored: 2003
Birth: 1943
Biography
Sister Jean Cashman is an Ursuline Nun who worked for nearly 20 years as a public, private, and parochial school instructor in the Bronx; Bethesda, Maryland; and at Ursuline Academy in Wilmington.
Cashman’s passion, however, is in helping re-integrating the homeless into mainstream society. In 1991, she founded Sojourner’s Place in Wilmington, and served as the Executive Director. Sojourner’s Place introduced the concept of educating the homeless population, rather than simply keeping them alive. Cashman “chose the name from the biblical injunction to reach out to the sojourners in our midst, providing hospitality and whatever they need to continue the journey.” The center is focused on the needs of the chronically homeless and those who have the most need to start their lives over, namely veterans and former prison inmates. They are provided food, clothing, and shelter, as well as one-on-one case management for as long as they need assistance.
Sojourner’s Place can house up to 50 residents, and they can stay until they feel ready to leave. Residents are taught how to manage money, and there’s about a 70% success rate, which means “they have a job and a place to live, and they’ve addressed whatever their past issues are [such as drugs or alcohol].” Treatment also includes GED literacy tutoring, life skills management, job training, and housing referrals. Cashman says “the key ingredient is compassion.”
She was appointed to the Governor’s Advisory Council on Social Services in 1985, and as chair Cashman was essential in structuring Delaware’s Welfare Reform Program. She also helped to found Interfaith Housing Delaware. Cashman received a formal tribute from Governor Ruth Minner for “providing a decade of tireless dedication, faith, leadership, and positive example that has guided Sojourner’s Place.”
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Sources and Additional Readings
Our Story. Sojourners' Place. (n.d.). Retrieved January 13, 2022, from http://www.sojournersplace.org/our-story.html
Review, C. (2012, January 19). Catholic organization helps ex-inmates adjust to life on the outside. Archdiocese of Baltimore. Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://www.archbalt.org/catholic-organization-helps-ex-inmates-adjust-to-life-on-the-outside/
Webmaster, & Taradash, S. (2018, March 28). Teaching older adults and Boomer Volunteerism. Jewish Sacred Aging. Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://jewishsacredaging.com/teaching-older-adults-and-boomer-volunteerism/
- Collections: 2003