Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America

Localizing Efforts

37 million people in this country live in poverty; thats an astounding and quite large number. How can you get others in your community to care and then act to reduce poverty when the problem seems so large?      

Try localizing the information- what is it like to be poor in YOUR community? Who are those who are most affected? What actions can you do locally to help the poor?

Paint the picture for others by using resources about poverty in your community. Find out how your state ranks in terms of poverty by using the Catholic Campaign for Human Development's Poverty Map (http://www.usccb.org/cchd/povertyusa/map.htm)

Use statistics from your agency or an agency in your community that serves the poor. Talk about how many people request assistance from food banks, health care clinics, homeless shelters, social service providers in YOUR city.

Take the tools that CCUSA has provided through the Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America and tailor them your community so that more people feel called to ACT!

Do you have the next great idea? Share your great ideas with others by posting them on this blog!

Catholic Charities of Baltimore Dedicates Innovative Center to help People Escape Poverty

“We are writing the ultimate turnaround story here. Those who are supporting us in this bold effort recognize that providing opportunities for people to turn from lives mired in chronic poverty to lives of self reliance through employment and stable housing is worth this investment in people and in the economic impact they will make on Baltimore,” said Harold A. Smith, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Baltimore of his agency’s new Our Daily Bread Employment Center.  

Today, with the help of William Henry Cardinal Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore; Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley; and other city dignitaries, Smith’s agency dedicated Our Daily Bread Employment Center—the city’s first comprehensive resource center designed to help people and their families escape the impact of poverty by providing a centralized array of vital services.

ODBEC houses three existing Catholic Charities programs:

• Our Daily Bread daily hot meal program;
• Christopher Place Employment Academy, a residential program for formerly homeless men aimed at employment and permanent housing; and
• Maryland Re-entry Partnership, a program that enables formerly incarcerated men to successfully reintegrate into the community.

The Center also provides case management and an array of services by Catholic Charities as well as partner providers. These services include eviction prevention services, emergency and referral services, job-readiness assistance, job referral services, job placement, job retention and follow up, adult basic education, medical services (limited), recovery support, assistance with criminal background issues, access to computers and telephones, mail distribution, and workshops on home ownership, financial literacy and healthy relationships.

Through the employment opportunities offered at ODBEC, the Agency expects 350 people to be employed every year. By the end of their first year of work, annual wages of over $6.5 million will have been put back into the community.

“This comprehensive program is exactly what is needed to help break the cycle of poverty that holds back so many people in our nation,” said Rev. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, which recently launched a campaign to cut poverty rates in half by 2020. “The fact is that families struggling in poverty often need assistance in several areas – including job services, food, housing and health care, and this program is a model for providing a one-stop center to address all of these needs.”

To learn more, read The Baltimore Sun’s article—“Soup kitchen becomes a depot for change; Catholic Charities building is a place of transition - offering hope and positive direction for life journeys”

Jamaica HomeBase - Breaking the Cycle of Poverty

Prevention. Intervention. Outreach. These are all essential actions we need to take in order to break the cycle of poverty in our communities.

How is this possible? Take a look at Catholic Charities Brooklyn & Queens' Jamaica HomeBase Homeless Prevention Community Resource Center, a partnership with the NYC Department of Homeless Services.

The center, conveniently located in the heart of Queens Community District 12, provides case management, emergency assistance, counseling, and referral services. The center's mission is to save families before they end up in shelters. According to Robert Siebel, executive director/CEO of Catholic Charities Brooklyn & Queens, "Housing is central to our mission." It is a source of "hope, an essential catalyst in life."

Jamaica HomeBase is one of six HomeBase locations providing vital services and support. This summer, the program will expand citywide.

Kids Smile at Catholic Charities Maine

Tooth decay is one of the few preventable health problems today, yet it is the most common chronic childhood disease across the country. To combat this problem, Catholic Charities Maine has been working to meet the dental needs of low-income families since 1971.

Catholic Charities Maine operates the Jessie Albert Memorial Dental Center, a community-based nonprofit. The center began as the vision of Jessie Albert, a community volunteer who was concerned about the desperate need for affordable dental health facilities for children. Last year the center served more than 5,600 children.

"Parents who bring their children to Jessie Albert find that we want to make their child's visit a positive experience and we are committed to providing the highest standards of dental care," commented Dr. Meredith Davis, one of the center's four full-time dentists. "This means modern equipment, patient friendly rooms, and a caring, comfortable environment."

Catholic Charities USA is proud the Jessie Albert Memorial Dental Center. Catholic Charities Maine is doing their part to make a difference in the lives of low-income children and families.  We believe access to health care is a basic human right, essential to maintaining the dignity of human life.

This month the Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America is focusing on the well-being of our children. Share your own stories about this issue by commenting at http://povertyinamerica.typepad.com/campaign/2007/05/shary_your_stor.html

Reflections on Poverty in America

Catholic Charities USA's Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America has four main priorities:

• To reduce hunger;

• To ensure universal health care coverage;

• To foster economic security; and

• To create more affordable housing.

We are developing reflection papers on these priorities to become better acquainted with the Campaign and discover new possibilities for action at the local level concerning the issue of poverty and its relation to hunger, health care, housing and economic security.

The method is fairly simple. Individuals can participate in a process that involves a series of prayer moments, information on church documents, and CCUSA’s Poverty in America reflection questions and group discussions. Through content, discussion, prayer, and reflection you will be able to discern your personal response and the response of your community to the hunger crisis in our world.

Download Reflections on Hunger

Download Reflections on Health Care

Health Care: A Basic Human Right

Get involved in the Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America by focusing on the well-being of our children.

Access to health care is a basic human right, essential to maintaining the dignity of human life. Yet nine million children in our country do not have insurance and face barriers to accessing doctors, dentists, and preventive care. 

This summer, Congress is expected to move full speed ahead in reauthorizing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), presenting a major opportunity to protect the health of millions of our children.

As Catholic Charities USA works with your Members of Congress to develop additional policies that nuture, protect, and care for our children, we need your voice.

Submit a comment to this post and tell us why you believe all families and children have a right to adequate health care.

Or, share your personal experiences by visiting these blog posts:

• Do you have children who have been under or uninsured?
• Do you work with under or uninsured children?

Your stories and thoughts will be collected and utilized by Catholic Charities USA as we work with your Members of Congress.  Stories can be as short as a few sentences or as long as a few paragraphs. You do not need to provide your name but please identify the state where you live.

For more information, contact Karen Wong, Legislative Policy and Research Analyst or Christin Driscoll, Senior Director for Policy Development and Advocacy.

Do you have children who have been under or uninsured?

Have you experienced difficulty getting medical help for your child or children?  Have government programs like Medicaid and SCHIP helped your child receive medical care? We want to hear from you.

Many parents like you are under or uninsured and face barriers to accessing doctors, dentists, and preventive care.  But this summer, Congress is expected to move ahead in reauthorizing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). This program presents a major opportunity to protect the health of millions of children.

As Catholic Charities USA works with your Members of Congress to develop additional policies that nuture, protect, and care for our children, we need your voice. Share stories below describing the obstacles and challenges you face in getting adequate medical help.

Do you work with under or uninsured children?

We need your help as we work to end injustice in our country. Nine million children in our country do not have insurance and face barriers to accessing doctors, dentists, and preventive care.

As a health care professional or service provider, have you been faced with under or uninsured patients? Tell us about a struggle you have witnessed in an uninsured or underinsured child’s ability to get the medical help he or she needed.  How have government programs like Medicaid and SCHIP helped children you serve to get good medical care? 

Share your stories by commenting below. Your stories and thoughts will be collected and utilized by Catholic Charities USA as we work with your Members of Congress to develop policies that nuture, protect, and care for our children.

Take the Food Stamp Challenge

Most of us will never face the prospect of going without a meal. We can only imagine what a life of hunger and poverty must be like. The reality, however, is more present than many of us realize:

• 35 million Americans don’t have enough to eat
• Four out of five food stamp recipients in our country are children

Take the Food Stamp Challenge and see if you can eat nutritious meals on $3.00 a day. Experience the reality faced by millions of Americans living in poverty.

The Challenge:
Take one week and buy your groceries using the average food stamp benefit of $3.00 per person per day and then...

• Post a comment to this entry and describe your experience.
• Talk with friends and neighbors about the sacrifices you were forced to make.
• Talk to your pastor and ask if you can share your story at mass one Sunday.
• Learn about and endorse Catholic Charities USA’s Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America and invite friends, family and fellow parishioners to endorse too! Encourage community groups and organizations that you are a part of to endorse the campaign as well.

Tell Congress to Enact Just and Comprehensive Immigration Reform

WHAT: Congress is once again taking up the issue of immigration. New proposals from the U.S. House of Representatives and the White House have recently been introduced, and in the Senate, legislation may be introduced and debated within the next two weeks.

The House and Bush Administration proposals take different approaches to addressing immigration reform, and potential compromises could impact family-based immigration categories. We are very concerned that families will continue to be separated and that policies may be put in place that fail to address family backlogs and that threaten family structures.

ACTION NEEDED: Click on “Take Action” and enter your zip code to send a message to your Members of Congress in both the House and the Senate starting TODAY!

Ask them to pass just and comprehensive immigration reform legislation that preserves families; provides a path to lawful permanent residence and citizenship for the 11-12 million undocumented in our nation; and improves the economic prospects, health, labor protections, and stability of all U.S. residents, including newcomers.

Please ask your co-workers, families, and friends to contact their Congressional delegations on this issue.

BACKGROUND: On March 22, 2007, Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) introduced the Security through Regularized Immigration and Vibrant Economy Act of 2007 (STRIVE Act). This bill is a good starting point and the appropriate framework for a comprehensive immigration reform bill. The White House announced its proposal for immigration on March 29th; the Administration’s proposal does not meet the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Charities USA’s principles for comprehensive immigration reform.

Please visit our website for more information on the STRIVE ACT and the Administration’s proposal.

For more information on comprehensive immigration reform, please visit the website of the Justice for Immigrants Campaign.

Who can I contact at Catholic Charities USA for more information? Please contact Lucreda Cobbs, Director of Immigration and Special Populations Policy or Christin Driscoll, Senior Director for Policy Development and Advocacy.