Dear Catholic Charities Partners –
I am so proud of the work that Catholic Charities of Oregon is doing! There are so many good things happening. I would like to share these with you. Here is how, with your help, individuals are blessed each day at CCO:
Our client “Mary” relocated to Chiles House after living in our shared houses. The community living aspect was difficult for Mary given her mental health issues and the struggles with other housemates. When Chiles House opened, Mary moved in.
During her stay, she began treatment for an aggressive form of cancer. She has been able to work with both her case manager, Victoria Waldrep, and our peer support specialist Ann Marie. We provided support for Mary including caring for her cats when she was in the hospital, bringing her food, checking in via telephone and assisting her with applications for permanent subsidized housing. Mary’s name just came up for a permanent unit in a senior building where she and her cats can relocate and receive the additional services they offer.
Mary doesn’t have much family to rely on and our hope is that she will build a new community in her permanent home where our staff will continue to check in with her after move-in. The support of the Catholic Charities team and programs has helped Mary through some of her toughest days and we hope that in her move she will find the safety and security that she has been seeking. That will allow her to concentrate on her health recovery journey.
The Catholic Charities USA Healthy Housing Initiative Year Four Report has been released. Please take a minute to review the report and read what CCO has been working on with CCUSA. Congratulations belong to the staff working on this project. It involves both Resident Services, headed by Sally Erickson and Rose Bak, and Caritas Housing, headed by John Tamminga. This team has done a great job of partnering to ensure we develop communities that contain ongoing support for our residents. It’s our way of maximizing the benefits of stable housing. Services include health fairs, case management, resident services coordination, food pantries and much more. You can check it out here: https://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/HHI-Year-Four-Report.pdf
More great news: The Mental Health Association of Oregon will be moving into our building on Sept. 1. MHA offers services for those with mental health and addiction challenges. What a marvelous opportunity this presents for clients of both programs. Our building, which now has Stone Soup on the first floor, has become a partnership of providers serving the most vulnerable, giving us all a better chance of creating lasting solutions to poverty and injustice. God has created a new and innovative solution to our community’s needs. Pray that God continues to grow these partnerships to His glory.
These are just some of the life affirming ways God is working at Catholic Charities.
Blessings,
Natalie Wood
Executive Director