April 29, 2009

Catholic Charities: an ACA success story

By John Gleason

Each year Catholics across northern Colorado anticipate the kick off of the Archbishop’s Catholic Appeal. It’s during this time that the faithful open their hearts and their pocketbooks to ensure that many of the programs and ministries operated by the Archdiocese of Denver are there for the people who need them.  Without monies raised through the campaign, these programs could face severe cutbacks.

One organization that benefits from the appeal is Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Denver. Through the dozens of programs it operates, Catholic Charities provides help and creates hope. Among the many services Catholic Charities offers are foster care, emergency assistance, senior and youth services and Head Start programs.

The programs not only give a hand up to those who are down on their luck, but to people who have been hit hard by the troubled economy, according to Stephen Carattini, interim president and CEO of Catholic Charities.

“Certainly in the last year of the economic downturn, the need for services is on the rise,” he said, “particularly in our emergency assistance ministries and in our homeless shelters.  But we make do with (what) we have.  And throughout all this people continue to give.  We continue to count on that generosity.”

Carattini added that without the generous support of the Catholic community, Catholic Charities wouldn’t be able to operate.

“We’re grateful for the support,” he said.  “It allows us to minister to thousands of people every year, whether they require emergency shelter or financial assistance or the counseling programs in the schools.”

Catholic Charities’ Samaritan House homeless shelter, which always operates at full capacity, has seen a 60 percent increase in the rate of new homeless in the last year, officials said.

Patti Carr is the manager of Byers Place, one of several emergency assistance centers operated by Catholic Charities in Denver. 

“Byers Place is a consolidation of what used to be two other centers,” she said.  “Since we opened last October, we serve between 900 and 1,000 families a month and there’s no reason to think that the number won’t go up.”

In addition to helping people pay their rent, Byers Place also offers assistance with public service or water bills. Officials said requests for help with utilities has seen a 35 percent increase in the last year.  Byers Place also has a food bank.  Because of the soft economy, Carr is seeing more first-timers come in.

“It used to be you’d see a lot of repeats,” she said.  “Today I’m seeing many people who are new to the system.  Last month we helped 867 people—almost 60 percent were new families, those who’ve never been here before.”

If Byers Place can’t assist them with a particular need, Carr said there are many other ministries within Catholic Charities they can be referred to.

“One person wants to work toward their GED, another requests information on parenting classes,” she said. “There are services for the disabled, those with immigration questions or advocacy or learning English as a second language.  All these operations happen with money Catholic Charities receives through the generosity shown in the Archbishop’s Catholic Appeal.  That is our success.”