CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF LOS ANGELES

History
Organized by the church as the Bureau of Catholic Charities in 1919, with the purpose of meeting the immediate needs of the poor, the agency officially became Catholic Welfare Bureau in 1936, was incorporated in 1985 and renamed Catholic Charities of Los Angeles, Inc. This year, Catholic Charities is launching its second century of providing help and creating hope for those in need, without regard to their backgrounds or beliefs, in the counties of Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara.

Program Description
Catholic Charities provides emergency assistance as well as support services that address human suffering and larger social issues, such as poverty, hunger and nutrition, homelessness, illiteracy and violence, laying a foundation for long-term stability. Programs and services offered at 18 community centers and ten homeless shelters are designed to alleviate hunger, strengthen communities, transform homelessness, guide children and teens, protect the aging, and assist immigrants and refugees.

Program activities/highlights include:
• Food programs and services delivered to low-income, food insecure individuals and families through the food pantries and food distribution sites at the community service centers. Clients receive free bags of groceries, sack lunches, or balanced and nutritious meals through regular distribution of food. Distribution sites at several of the centers assist eligible households to apply for CalFresh (food stamps) benefits. Additionally, workshops on nutrition and healthy living are held at the centers, periodically, through Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-Ed) workshops;
• Shelter programs designed to move clients from “in crisis” situations to a safe and stable housing. Catholic Charities’ ten shelters (bridge and crisis housing, domestic violence shelter and shelter residences), located in Los Angeles County, strive to end homelessness and stabilize clients’ lives through housing, employment and supportive services;
• Homeless prevention programs offered at several of Catholic Charities’ community service centers that typically include case management and financial assistance such as rental assistance, security deposits, emergency eviction prevention, and motel vouchers, all subject to availability of funding. These services help prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless and enable them to regain stability in their current housing;
• Financial empowerment and workforce readiness programs offered to adults and youth, 19 or older, through case management, employability and basic skills assessment, employment plan development, job referrals, job coaching, and life skills workshops. These activities empower clients to become self-sufficient and to achieve economic security;
• The literacy programs for adults, which are offered at most of the agency’s community centers. Several volunteer-driven literacy projects include one-on-one tutoring for basic English language, math and basic computer classes for both adults and youth. Similarly, life skills training, parenting classes, and support groups for women and the elderly are held to encourage our clients and to help improve their self-esteem;
• The School-Readiness projects in the San Fernando Valley and at El Santo Niño Community Services Center in South Los Angeles prepare children for Kindergarten by teaching essential cognitive and language skills. Additionally, the Neighborhood Learning Center, also in the San Fernando Valley, provides homework assistance and tutorial / remedial interventions to at-risk, school-aged minority children, between the ages of six and 12. A pre-school, a collaborative project with a local academy, is offered to children between the ages of two and five at Guadalupe Community Center;
• The Tutoring and Mentoring program for middle school and high school students at El Santo Niño Community Services Center helps youth avoid violence and gangs by offering learning opportunities and a safe haven after school. M.Y. C.L.U.B. (Modeling for Youth Cooperation, Leadership, Unity and Bridges), in the San Pedro Region of Catholic Charities, provides afterschool services for 4th and 5th grade children. Youth Employment Services gives paid job experience and mentorship to at-risk, neighborhood teens and young adults;
• Senior programs, such as the Older Adult Services and Intervention System (OASIS) program and the Gatekeeper Project, are offered at some of the centers to help elderly citizens through food delivery, utility and transportation assistance, and case management services, enabling them to remain independent and avoid premature institutionalization; and
• Immigration Services for vulnerable individuals and families seeking immigration assistance, including immigration consultations, naturalization assistance, DACA services/workshops, community education and legal representation for children and families in immigration detention.

Through the agency’s programs and services, Catholic Charities delivers, on average, over 800,000 services to almost 100,000 unduplicated individuals, each year, of whom 38% are children under the age of 18, and 15% are seniors.

Target Population
The target populations are: individuals with no income or incomes below poverty level and who are homeless; women; families with children; veterans; elderly; and those who have multiple barriers to food, housing and other resources needed to gain self-sufficiency.

What We Aspire to Accomplish
Poverty, hunger, homelessness, and their physical, intellectual, social and psychological effects in children, men, women and the elderly, are problems that Catholic Charities strives to address and resolve through its wide range of programs offered at 18 strategically located community service centers and ten homeless shelters throughout the counties of Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara. The programs aim to address chronic poverty and guide clients toward long-term stability, while meeting their emergency needs and, ultimately, transforming their lives.