Mission Statement Facts About Homelessness Resources Committees Membership DSS Dialogues Sister Jeanne Frank Award

Sister Jeanne Frank 2005 Award Winner Each day as a homeless case manager, Karen Carmen goes out into the community to meet with homeless individuals at the City Mission and St. Luke’s Soup Kitchen. She has an extensive and demanding caseload, and each day homeless men fill the waiting room to speak to her. Due to the large crowds and not wanting anyone to be overlooked, she has partnered with Neighborhood Legal Services to provide a weekly orientation to homeless men. She educates clients about housing services available, and makes sure that clients are aware of all of their entitlements. Karen is an amazing advocate for her clients. She never accepts the listing price for an apartment, talking down landlords to help clients afford better housing. She doesn’t accept “no” as an answer from any service provider, and she's willing to go to bat for any client. Once asked how she does it, she replied, “I just keep talking until they get sick of me and say ‘yes.’ ” Karen goes above and beyond her job description by remembering her clients on their birthday and taking them out to lunch. And she doesn’t just go to McDonalds-– she takes them to a real sit-down restaurant. When Karen is asked why she does this, she explained that many of our clients have been on the streets with no family or friends to remember their birthday. And they certainly haven’t had the money to go out to eat a nice meal. This is a true demonstration of Karen treating each client with respect and dignity, and helps restore a sense of self-worth that is so often lost while living on the streets. Karen is a true advocate and an asset to Crisis Services and all agencies that work on behalf of the homeless community. Karen Carmen is whole-heartedly recommended to receive the Sister Jeanne Frank Award this year. 2004 Award Winner The Western New York Coalition for the Homeless awards its 9th Annual Sister Jeanne Frank Award to Adrian Slocum of Catholic Charities for his work on behalf of homeless and low-income clients. Adrian Slocum, the Intake Coordinator for Catholic Charities, Office of the Aging, has worked on behalf of low income and homeless seniors for the past fifteen years. Adiran helps seniors navigate the often complicated system of housing and public benefits. Adrian also coordinates workshops for other intake coordinators and persons working on the front lines of homelessness. Adrian is particularly proud of his work with a number of community agencies which are working together to make a specialized shelter for homeless elderly a reality. For many years, Adrian has acted behind the scenes in creating new educational programs to keep advocates trained and informed of services and legal remedies available to homeless clients. Hundreds of low income and homeless advocates are better at their jobs because of the work that Adrian does. Due to his impressive efforts, the quality of information and care that low income folks receiving Erie County has been vastly improved. Beyond his work in helping others to serve their clients well, Adrian has helped thousands of low income persons navigate the complicated systems which they need to maneuver through to improve their lives. Many people owe much to Adrian, a tireless and humble worker for the poor and disenfranchised. Sister Jeanne Frank, a member of the Roman Catholic order of the Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity, was a powerful advocate for the poor of Buffalo and Erie County. Born in Amsterdam, New York, the daughter of Joseph and Glendora Frank, Jeanne came to Buffalo as a child and was educated in Buffalo schools. She entered the novitiate at Stella Niagara, in Youngstown, New York in 1950 and eventually received degrees from Rosary Hill College, (now Daemen College) and Boston College. For the first 31 years of her career she was a teacher in high schools and colleges in New York, Ohio and West Virginia. However, her heart was with the poor, and she moved her efforts towards advocacy. She was the founder of the St. Vincent de Paul Dining Room (originally operated out of Our Lady of Lourdes on Main Street) which continues to provide food and critical services to the poor and homeless. Sister Jeanne's approach is summed up in her instruction to her volunteers: "Remember you are serving your equals. Don't put a plate in front of them without putting yourself there as well." Sister Jeanne joined the Center for Justice, worked for the outreach program of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, and became an advocate for Adult Residential Care Associates. In this role, she became a vocal and visible advocate for the needs of the homeless in Buffalo. It was Sister Jeanne who began the first collection of statistical data to testify that there was indeed a significant homeless population in Buffalo. She was a founder of the Western New York Coalition for the Homeless, bringing together people from various organizations to work together to raise public awareness and improve the lives of homeless people. She was both teacher and inspiration to many in our community who continue to serve and advocate for those who are homeless and in crisis. Sister Jeanne lost her battle with cancer in December of 1994 at the age of 64. Her memory and her work live on in the Sister Jeanne Frank Award, presented annually by the Western New York Coalition for the Homeless. The Sister Jeanne Frank Award was first conceived in 1995 and has been presented annually since then. It is given to an individual who exemplifies Sister Jeanne's spirit in relating to the homeless and needy. Affectionately known by Coalition members as the "Sister Jeanne Frank In-Your-Face Advocacy Award," the honor is presented to an individual who has demonstrated persistence, a strong sense of social justice and willingness to go many extra miles for the causes of the homeless. Past recipients include: Mary Stengel, Pat Griffin, Kathy Johnson, Michael Burgess, Kathy Laughlin, Jack Gustaferro, and Penny Selmonsky. Back to top