As I write this issue, I am on the plane returning from Baltimore after almost three full days of training on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). Truth be told, I often got emails from CCHD about funding opportunities and because I knew very little about the program, those emails were pushed far down the priority list. Not anymore. Let me share a little about why this program is so important to our communities.    

CCHD was established in 1969 by the U.S. Catholic Bishops as a national anti-poverty program. The goal is to break the cycle of poverty by helping low-income people address root causes of poverty and participate in decisions that affect their lives, families, and communities such as education, affordable housing, economic development, immigration, and safe streets. The foundational strength of CCHD is the Gospel and the seven themes of Catholic Social Teachings, such as options for the poor and vulnerable, life and dignity for the human person, and solidarity.

So where does the money come from for these anti-poverty programs? Every November, parishes all over the U.S. have a special CCHD collection. Annually, about $10M is collected nationwide. Twenty-five percent of the donations stay in the diocese to fund small grants to local organizations that are in line with CCHD mission, while seventy-five percent is sent to the CCHD national office to fund larger grants to organizations in the dioceses across the country. Since 1969, the national office has awarded some 8,000 grants worth almost $269M toward anti-poverty causes. One example of a national grant was for a coalition of 500 families called FUREE (Families United for Racial and Economic Equality) in Brooklyn. FUREE won relocation funds and affordable housing after being displaced by financial service companies that were purchasing land, buildings, and family-owned businesses, resulting in skyrocketing rents and loss of employment for families.

An important "call to action" is to spread the word about these opportunities to local Catholic organizations such as St. Vincent de Paul Societies, hospitals, seminaries, colleges, universities, high schools, and Catholic Charities.

I invite you for a real cup of coffee to share your thoughts and ideas about Catholic Charities. I look forward to hearing from you. 

Catholic Charities has formed a partnership with Betty Chinn and her foundation to open a homeless Day Center in Eureka. Thanks to a generous donation by a Sonoma County philanthropist who was born and raised in nearby Fortuna, Catholic Charities has been able to purchase a building, and help with renovation costs and the first year of operating expenses. We intend to open the Day Center in late spring of 2013.

Read about Betty's work

I talked about Betty in my February Virtual Coffee. She is a special human being whose love and compassionate actions for the homeless know no limitations. For the past six months, Betty, myself, and her foundation board of directors have been working diligently to plan this Day Center and build relationships in the community. One of my roles was to mend relationships, as Charities used to provide mental health services in Eureka and then "suddenly" closed their operations years ago. Many have not forgotten and have no hesitation about letting me know how they feel.

 

A big step for the Day Center was to have a community meeting so the community could see the building, learn about the services offered, ask questions, and voice concerns. Community meetings can be contentious especially around topics like homelessness. Two staff members and I planned the agenda, who would say what, length of the meeting, PowerPoint slides, handouts, and answers to anticipated questions. We hoped for the best and were prepared for the worst.

 

The worst never happened. Over one hundred people attended and it could not have gone more smoothly. Every city council member, the mayor, the sheriff, the city manager, board of supervisors, the director of health and human services, local foundations, social service providers, and many more were there. The consistent theme of the feedback was that 'this was the most heart-warming, collaborative, feel good, worthy, everyone pulling together, community meeting that I have been to, and never have we been to a community meeting with so many high level community leaders supporting a cause.' We even made the front page of the daily Eureka Times Standard newspaper the next day.

 

On a personal level, my hope was that the meeting would bring people together who would forgive the past, focus on the future, rally around a serious community problem, and see a different way to solve a problem. My hope was that it would create excitement for change. Based on my many meetings the next day in Eureka, I believe the community meeting accomplished just that.

Catholic Charities reaches out to those most in need, offers hope through service and builds better communities.