“From the time I was a child, whenever I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always said, ‘I want to help people.’”

Serving others has always been a calling for David Dempsey. “Social work allows me to use the gifts God blessed me with to bring help and hope to those among us who are lonely, forgotten, and marginalized.”

Over the last three decades, David’s calling has taken him to numerous “mission posts,” each one building on the other. These have included serving as a social worker at a pediatric oncology unit (one of the most profound and humbling experiences of his life), to running a program for homeless HIV positive adults in recovery for substance abuse. Since 2014, David has shared his commitment to service and courageous compassion with residents of St. Leo, Catholic Charities’ affordable housing program for veterans.

“Most people don’t fully understand the challenges unhoused veterans face,” he says. “It is common to assume PTSD from military service was the driving factor of their instability. The reality is that many experienced trauma from generational poverty, family violence, substance abuse, and mental illness before their service.”

At St. Leo, David leads a team of four master’s-level case managers charged with meeting each veteran resident where they are. “I always tell my team that the greatest thing we can do is listen. Everyone wants to be loved, shown kindness, and validated. They want to know they are not alone.”