Snapshot Survey

3rd Quarter 2009:
Pantry shelves empty faster than ever

Seventy-four Catholic Charities agencies responded to Catholic Charities USA’s third quarter snapshot survey. The survey revealed that food services are in high demand as agencies are faced with reduced funding and staff layoffs. Mental Health counseling and domestic violence services are strained.

The survey asked local agencies, on the frontlines of providing social service during the current economic recession, to specify trends they are experiencing.

The full report can be found below. You can also download a printable report.

More People are in Need

The third quarter of 2009 continued to show new and underserved populations coming to Catholic Charities for help.

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas reports “We are seeing a new face coming in for assistance. These are clients whose employment has run out, no job to be found or chosen a job that does not provide the same income and people are working to either form a new way to live or needing help from the food pantry and emergency assistance services.”

Catholic Charities Finger Lakes reports “Increasingly, individuals requesting assistance are new to our agency and the human service network in general. They are a population of individuals who once would have been our target donor population, now seeking assistance and support from our agency.

Agencies identified alarmingly higher requests for services from specific populations in the third quarter:

• 89% of agencies from the working poor
• 54% of agencies from seniors
• 47% of agencies from middle class clients
• 76% of agencies from families

Youngstown Catholic Charities states that programs that used to get 100 calls a month now receive 70 calls a day for financial assistance with food and utilities.

The agency overall population of households with incomes less than $5000 more than doubled between 2007 and 2008 at Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. They report a “greater number of people asking for funds to serve as a 'bridge' for stability, e.g., car repair dollars to stay employed and increased counseling on coping strategies to address or stave off more serious mental health/behavioral health issues, especially with people who have never previously had to ask for help.”

Catholic Charities of Atlanta reports “Last year during this quarter we screened 19 for earned benefits. This quarter, we screened 3,089. The agency also reports long waits because of increased need: “New clients in the immigration program have to wait five weeks to have a consultation appointment with an immigration attorney. New clients in the parenting education program have to wait a month to commence services. It normally takes a person six days after they first call to get a counseling appointment.”

Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Wheeling, WV, reports “In our pantries and on a daily basis, we see ‘new families’ and single adults who have never requested assistance before. We also receive calls for help from families in other areas. We’ve seen an increase in calls from grandparents who are trying to provide for their grandchildren.”

People are Hungry

The USDA Household Food Security in the United States, 2008 Report shows that nearly 49.1 million Americans were food insecure or hungry. Of these, 32.4 million are adults (nearly 15 percent of all adults) and 16.7 million are children (over 22 percent of all children).

Faced with low wages and rising housing, utility, and health care costs, low-income households may cut meals or buy less nutritious, cheaper food to make ends meet. These are the people who come to Catholic Charities pantries and dining rooms because they are hungry and do not have access to adequate food.

• 76% of agencies report an increased demand for food
• 70% of agencies report increased enrollment in SNAP (Food Stamps)

Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada has seen a 100% increase in social services food bank clients as well as a 30% increase in clients eating in their facility.

At Catholic Community Services of Northern Nevada, 9000 people/families a month receive food from food warehouse and dining room—where 500 meals are served daily.

Catholic Charities of Brooklyn Queens reports: “We are seeing an increase in new clients accessing our food pantries. These clients are the working poor, the newly unemployed and first-time clients who have never had to access services. The latter group includes those who recently lost jobs and have exhausted their savings. These are often parents who are struggling to send kids to college and pay the mortgage at the same time. We do our best to meet the needs of all who come to us for services.”

Catholic Charities of Central Texas reports that their food pantry fed the largest number of people the agency has seen in one month this past October, 719 households representing 2,637 individuals. They added “We are now open on a separate day, every other Thursday for seniors and people with disabilities because the weekly food pantry day was too crowded.”

Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Charlotte, NC reports that food services in three locations have tripled services. They serve approximately 300 families a week as compared to 75-100 families a week in 2008.

Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley reports “Over 200 new clients per month are coming to the food pantry for assistance for the first time in their lives. Most represent families who traditionally gave to the pantry…now they are seeking help for themselves.”

Catholic Charities of Saint Cloud’s food shelf has seen an increase of 400 families a month compared with last year.

Catholic Charities of Southwest Louisiana reports “Our food distribution program is quite strained. Our food supplier is not able to provide as much food as it once did because of a drastic cut in state funding in the current budget. We are receiving sometimes one third or less of the food we order. In July and August, we had to turn people away because we ran out of food.”

The agency also shared a moving example “One food client at our agency is a retired military member with nine purple hearts. He is in his 70s and is responsible for six other family members including another veteran. He and his family depend on our agency for supplemental food. It is very difficult to know that our food shortage will adversely affect this honorable man and his family.”

People need Housing

The country is in the midst of a serious housing crisis. Families are losing their homes, and those who are struggling to afford shelter are finding less and less affordable options. Every night in communities across this land, people have nowhere to call home. Catholic Charities agencies help provide shelter, assist with rent and mortgages and help keep the lights on.

This quarter agencies reported increased requests for housing assistance:

• 85% increased requests for rent or mortgage assistance
• 53% increased requests for foreclosure prevention
• 38% increased requests for temporary housing
• 43% increased requests for housing counseling
• 26% increased requests for permanent housing

Catholic Social Services of Alaska reports having the largest number of new clients in its homeless shelter, 9400 this year compared to 8500 for the same quarter last year. The average nightly census rose from 167 to 204 this year.

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Norwich reports their “housing counseling program seems to be challenged due to the amount of clients looking for assistance. This program includes mortgage delinquency counseling, budget/credit counseling, rental assistance, landlord/tenant counseling, and homebuyer education classes…we try to process as many clients as possible within our resources.”

Often emergency assistance steps in to help consumers with housing. Catholic Charities of Dallas shares “Our Emergency and Financial assistance division of Catholic Charities again demonstrated its commitment to compassion and aid for the less fortunate. A young couple struggled with repair issues in their apartment as a leaky roof created a wet living environment and eventually respiratory illnesses for each member of their family. This affected couple sought the help Cross Family Center at Catholic Charities and received financial assistance with rent. In addition, a caseworker helped the family file a complaint against the apartment complex regarding negligent maintenance provisions. This financial assistance allowed the couple to shelter themselves and their children and to avoid the prospect of homelessness. Eventually, the family was able to move to a better maintained apartment. ‘If there is a way that my family or I could pay back Catholic Charities of Dallas for the help that we just received, we would be more than happy to do it,’ said the husband."

People Need Help

The economic crisis does not just affect jobs; it affects individual and family emotional and mental well-being. While health care is a hotly debated issue, the reality is that many people struggle to find and pay for care. The current economic climate affects families as Catholic Charities see increased need for mental health counseling and increased domestic violence issues.

• 42% of agencies report an increase in demand for counseling and mental health services
• 26% report an increase for mental health services directly related to the economy
• 18% report more interaction with Child protective Services
• 55% report increased enrollment in Medicaid or SCHIP
• 35% report more domestic violence Issues.

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City reports “Many of the clients we are seeing see the source of their financial difficulty as a health issue. They are strapped financially because their medical bills are more than they can handle.”

Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia shares that its prescription assistance and mental health counseling resources are strained because of the influx of more families needing help who have no health insurance. The agency has seen a 200% increase in foreclosure mitigation help, a 300% increase in the number of people needing help with mortgage, rent and utilities and a 35% increase in people helped with free prescriptions.

Catholic Charities of Southern Arizona’s healthcare, dental care and domestic violence shelters are strained by the increase in clients. Healthcare is up to 70 new registrations a day and domestic violence shelters are at 99% capacity.

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Sioux City used the crisis as an opportunity to revitalize: “We saw a big increase in marital counseling as we cut out sliding fee by one third so we could be more affordable for individuals and families in this crisis. We made up the losses with support of our Bishop, people in the pews, and non-Catholics who gave donations because they saw the need. We were determined to make the needs of the people we serve front and center in our approach and do what was necessary to meet their needs. The result of our fee reduction has been a kind of revitalization of our mission within the agency and within the diocese with grateful clients.”

Catholic Charities Diocese of Baton Rouge has had to reduce services in prison ministry and their unwed pregnant mother shelter.

Catholic Charities Trenton has had to reduce domestic violence services.

Catholic Charities Diocese of Burlington has had to reduce mental health counseling services.

Drug and Alcohol counseling has been eliminated with major funding cuts at Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County.

Catholic Charities of Marquette has waiting lists for counseling while they “are looking at closing offices, laying off counselors, or putting them on payment with face to face contact.”

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Norwich reports “Mental Health services and basic needs and case management services are the hardest hit with insufficient resources. The financial shortfall is not allowing us to increase the amount of services to meet the demand. In this situation we are prioritizing who gets the help first: families with children, single parents, and elderly.”

Funding Crisis

Juxtaposed with increased requests for help are decreases in resources. “The problem remains a fixed number of staff members meeting the needs of an increasing population seeking services,” reports Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens.

Some relief has come from the federal government as agencies report receiving and utilizing Emergency Food and Shelter Funds and funding from the American Recover and Reinvestment Act. Overall, agencies report decreases in state and local government funding, corporate donations, and United Way support and investment income.

As a result of decreased donations, cuts to budgets or delays in payments agencies have had to reduce services, reduce staff hours, lay off staff and borrow on line of credit.

• 32% of agencies report that reductions in state funding has had the greatest affect on ability to provide services
• 78% are making greater fundraising efforts
• 36% of agencies are laying off employees
• 23% are reducing pay or benefits
• 72% continue to cut operations costs
• 41% report the average size of a donor’s gift has decreased since 2008
• 16% report that last year’s donor’s are this year’s clients

State budget cuts and delays in payment are greatly affecting clients needing services. Catholic Charities of Hawaii reports, “We have lost approximately $2 million dollars in state contract funds. Most of it has been with children program to prevent abuse. Our transitional shelter stipend funds are being reduced though our demand is high. We are receiving calls from midnight of the first of each month and by 10am have filled the numbers we can serve that month for rental assistance.” The agency has had to lay off 18% of their staff.

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s biggest challenge is “the State of Illinois not paying us in a timely manner. We are owed over $24 million and have exhausted our two lines of credit.”

“Our services have been greatly impeded due to the budget impasse in Pennsylvania. In order to maintain our current level of services, the agency has had to lay off employee and mandate employees take unpaid vacation time,” shares Catholic Social Services, Diocese of Scranton.

When asked what the biggest challenges they will face in the next 90 days agencies expressed worry about keeping the doors open, unhealthy stress felt by employees and clients, cutting staff and providing needs to match the demand. Catholic Charities Diocese of Yakima shares “winter brings with it increased numbers of those seeking assistance with food and shelter. In an uncertain economic climate, ad with larger demographic existing on fewer resources, it is logical to assume that our donations will see a decline. Our ability to obtain the necessary resources to ensure we are able to meet the needs presented to us becomes a greater concern.”

Catholic Charities Diocese of Sioux City, “This isn’t over. The impact will continue to add pressure and stress to families, individuals and children. Too much emphasis is put on Wall Street and Washington, DC when dealing with how bad the problem is and what needs to be done and both are hopelessly out of touch with the reality of the every day lives of the people of our society. Consequently, our clients won’t get the help they need if it is given to Wall Street and to playing politics.”