New ‘wrap-around’ program focuses on helping to lift people out of poverty

Celebrating Catholic Charities Week May 5-11

CHARLOTTE — Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte will celebrate Catholic Charities Week May 5-11. This is the 70th anniversary of Catholic Charities’ service to the people of western North Carolina.

For seven decades now, the mission of Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte has been to strengthen families, build communities and reduce poverty.

TRANSITION OUT OF POVERTY

Starting in May, Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte will offer the Transition Out of Poverty program through their three offices: Asheville, Charlotte and Winston-Salem. This new initiative is in response to families’ repeated need for assistance in hopes of getting to the root cause and helping them to become self-sufficient.

“In the last year, more than 3,600 households visited our food pantries multiple times,” says Sandy Buck, Charlotte regional director. “Many of the individuals we serve live from one financial emergency to the next and lack the means to take care of daily and household living expenses. They have to make use of ‘give and go’ community services without the benefit of addressing the roots of their situations.”

This new initiative will enhance the food pantry services with “wrap-around” case management, Buck says.

“Case management is a systematic approach to service provision that involves planning, securing, coordinating, monitoring and advocating for unified goals and services with organizations and personnel on behalf of individuals and families,” she explains.

Catholic Charities believes that this service model seeks to better meet the needs of their clients through individualization of services.

“We will provide our program participants with longer-term strategies and solutions towards sustainable outcomes,” Buck adds.

TOP families will be able to receive as much food as they need for the month, and they will be accompanied on their journey out of poverty by a well-trained volunteer case coordinator – someone who will be there to offer support, guidance and education. Both the family and the volunteer will have the guidance of Catholic Charities’ professional staff.

“The Catholic Charities TOP program is unique as no other local agency provides free case management to connect participants to local resources for education, employment, affordable housing, and health and wellness, and directly provides as much food as a participant desires,” she noted.

Catholic Charities’ case management services and food availability are offered by appointment, so participants do not have to wait in long lines and can be arranged at times convenient to them so they do not need to miss work.

“We work with other local service providers to ensure various participant needs are met and have compiled a comprehensive list of local resources for our case coordinators to use in providing appropriate referrals based on participants’ individual needs,” Buck explains.

She says the goal of case management services provided in all of Catholic Charities’ programs is “to help our participants attain self-sufficiency. And participants in all our programs can receive food if needed. That is the benefit of ‘wrap-around services.’ We are looking at the whole person and working with them to help them achieve their goals,” she says.

— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter

Want to help?

Catholic Charities needs many volunteers to run the Transition Out of Poverty program and donations to meet the increased need for food. Volunteer roles are volunteer case coordinators (intensive training provided), receptionists, intake and assessment volunteers, food packers and shoppers. Interested individuals can contact the volunteer coordinators in each office for more information.
Go online to www.ccdoc.org for details.