Catholic Charities of St Louis

Catholic Charities of St. Louis (ccstl) is the central office of the Catholic Charities of the archdiocese of St. Louis, supporting our family of ministries. The ministries each focus on different areas of need (homelessness, substance use disorders, domestic abuse, mental health, senior services, foster care and more). In calendar year 2021, over 98,000 people benefited from the federation's services. 53.4% of these people lived below the poverty line.ccstl central office provides the ministries necessary human resources, development, communications, training, quality assurance, finance, mission integration, service integration and advocacy support, allowing the ministries to focus their resources on their respective missions. Ccstl also provides direct and indirect financial support to the ministries, including $1.6 million of direct support and $0.8m "pass-through" grants in addition to $0.9 million of in-kind centralized service support during the fiscal year ended june 30, 2022.

Ccstl is one of the St. Louis region's primary providers of disaster response services, specializing in long-term case management for households impacted by tornados, floods, and other disasters. In fiscal year 2021, ccstl was awarded a three-year Catholic Charities usa disaster operations agency capacity initiative grant. Funds are being used to expand ccstl's capacity to prepare and respond to natural disasters by assessing community vulnerabilities, with a focus on helping rural communities establish disaster plans; creating an organizational disaster structure; and training existing staff in disaster response. While regional natural disaster activity was, thankfully, minimal in fiscal year 2022, ccstl participated in three multi-agency resource centers (farmington, defiance, and St. mary, mo), distributing gift cards totaling $8,084 to assist with home repairs, insurance deductibles, supplies and food.

Pathways to progress, a ccstl-st. francis community services joint program, strengthens families to increase their ability to live safe, productive, sustainable lives; educates and supports families to make effective decisions that positively impact their future; and advocates for systematic and progressive change. This is achieved through long-term (up to 4 years) personalized case management, free legal aid, financial education, employment guidance and access to services from ccstl ministries and community partners. In fiscal year 2022, pathways expanded its footprint from three to thirty high-need neighborhoods in north St. Louis city and opened an office serving north city residents, while maintaining all activities in north St. Louis county. As of june 30, 2022, more than 70 families were enrolled in the program. Thirteen of these families were preparing to graduate, joining 15 alumnae who successfully completed the program in the past. Since its inception in 2016, pathways to progress has served 143 families with 386 children.