Grateful Emergency Relief Fund Recipient Shares Her Comeback Story
Natalie Silvera faced a dire set of difficulties. She was behind on her rent, out of work and her permanent residency card had expired, which made finding a job much harder. She had applied to many social service agencies for assistance, but none offered a workable solution at the outset.
The Uniondale resident had been assisted by the St. Martha’s food pantry for a number of years. Over time, she got to know the Parish Social Ministry coordinator, Barbara Powell. When she approached her with the details of her situation, she found a listening ear without an immediate promise of help.
She was told to clean up the rental arrears from late 2025 while staying current in 2026. The tall order took some months to achieve, but when Ms. Silvera finally returned a few months ago, she was about to start a new job and had paid off her back rent with assistance from relatives and friends. A fee waiver enabled her to renew her green card.
When she returned, she only needed help with July’s rent. At that point, she had successfully satisfied the requests made with her own persistence and determination and by making sacrifices and living a very modest lifestyle. The food and toiletries she received from St. Martha’s helped, too.
Ms. Powell supported her application to Catholic Charities of Long Island’s Emergency Relief Fund for one month’s rent of $2,600 on the three-bedroom apartment she shares with her adult son and daughter. Her landlord, who she calls “a good guy,” spoke with Catholic Charities and agreed to sign off on the paperwork, so she would not lose her apartment.
CCLI had received a generous grant in January 2026 from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to provide added ERF resources and more personnel for the Parish Social Ministry and CARES programs.
She Never Gave Up
“I am really shocked that this program is in place,” Ms. Silvera recently said of the Emergency Relief Fund. “I’m extremely grateful it is in place.” Closely following instructions paid off for her. “I didn’t give up, and I did what I was supposed to do.”
Her comeback did not stop there. The new job she recently began with the City of New York is off to a promising start, and she hopes to continue working there until her retirement about 10 years from now. She currently works in the Human Resources Administration, which manages public assistance programs such as SNAP and emergency rental help. “My empathy meter is at 100,” an emotional Ms. Silvera said, explaining that she is thankful to God to be in a position to help and serve others.
She emigrated to the United States from Jamaica in 1992 and plans to complete her long road to citizenship with the help of another Catholic Charities of Long Island program called LUCHA.
She’s very grateful to Catholic Charities and to Barbara Powell for changing “the trajectory of her life,” enabling her to rise above her problems. In her darkest hours, the lifelong Catholic prayed for discernment and guidance.
“I was not asking God to take away my problems, just for strength,” Ms. Silvera said.