Featured Grant Story: Catholic Charities
What is Catholic Charities?
The mission of Catholic Charities is to “serve the least among us” and to empower people to improve their lives and the lives of their family members. They serve a thirty-county service area including the South Plains.
The Crisis Intervention Fund is used for those in crisis situations that regular grant funds cannot be used to help. For example, when utilities have already been disconnected and require reconnect fees/past due fees to be paid Catholic Charities is able to use the Crisis Intervention Fund to assist families in household stabilization in times of crisis. Catholic Charities also provides wrap around services for clients in house. They enroll eligible households in grant funded programs and make referrals for households that are not eligible.
In 2017, the Crisis Intervention Fund was instrumental in assisting eight parents’ graduation from college. Those eight parents now have an education as well as job skills and are working full time in their respective fields.
Catholic Charities in Action
The Crisis Intervention Fund assisted Christina*, a mother of three children, while she attended nursing school. Christina was separated from her husband, a U.S. Army veteran suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). He was hospitalized in a military facility for treatment, resulting in Christina struggling to balance home life and nursing school.
She attended nursing school full time and worked part time as a tutor to make ends meet. Christina discovered Catholic Charities through a classmate and immediately reached out to them. Catholic Charities staff assisted her using the Crisis Intervention Fund. By the time Catholic Charities staff met Christina she had already missed a few days of class because she didn’t have gas to get to her classes.
Christina was dedicated and studious, having made the Dean’s List and President’s List in school, yet she was struggling financially due to a tight budget. Catholic Charities provided immediate assistance for gas the same day she applied. She was able to attend class every day through graduation. After Catholic Charities assisted her, she enrolled in their Parent Empowerment Program, which provided her with resources to keep her family out of crisis and helped her graduate nursing school.
Christina graduated from nursing school in May 2018. She relocated her family to central Texas so that her children could be closer to their father as he receives treatment at the military facility. She can now provide for her family by using her degree, as well as the skills she learned from the Parent Empowerment Program.
*Name changed for privacy and confidentiality.
To learn more about the Catholic Charities, please visit them online at www.cclubbock.org, or on Facebook.
