Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Monterey

GOT COMPASSION???

Thomas, and his wife Trudy have a family of three children.  Both parents work and try to make ends meet. Thomas lost his job and is looking for work. Trudy was sure that her house cleaning job would keep the family together, until the family car needed major work, costing $720.  They had to use what little savings they had for her son and daughter’s asthma medications, because neither parent had health insurance, and now they are three months behind in rent and facing threats of eviction.

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Monterey meets people like Tomas and Trudy everyday – they may be a member of your family, or one of your neighbors. With your support, we can help even more families like Thomas and Trudy with rental, utility assistance and even CalFresh.  

WHO WE ARE & WHAT WE DO

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Monterey has been helping people of all spiritual beliefs and cultures in need since 1984.   The agency’s mission is to work to reduce poverty and promote social justice on the Central Coast.  Services are delivered in San Benito; Santa Cruz; Monterey; and San Luis Obispo counties, where nearly one-third of residents in each county struggle in poverty every day. These people may be your neighbors, your friends, or your family.  People often come to Catholic Charities as a last resort before becoming homeless. Catholic Charities strives to lift the poor and marginalized out of poverty to become self-sufficient, contributing members of the communities we serve.

In 2013, over 780 clients received help to stabilize families and individuals with emergency rental, move-in, or utility expenses. Over 350 children and adults received nutrition education and 75 families participated in our family fitness program. More than 13,400 clinical hours of counseling were provided to 335 clients, who otherwise would not have had access to mental health services. 

Nearly 300 clients had negative tattoos removed, helping to broaden economic and social opportunities. There are 1,368
active immigration and citizenship cases, and over 300 youth and young adults achieved temporary legal status and work permits in 2013.