For Immediate Release:
July 23, 2010

Contact:  Roger Conner
(703) 236-6218

Catholic Charities USA Applauds Signing of Jobless Benefits Legislation

Praises congressional leadership for restoring hope to 2.5 million Americans

Alexandria, VA—Catholic Charities USA, the national human services organization committed to cutting poverty in half by 2020, today applauds the President and congressional leadership for extending unemployment insurance benefits to over 2.5 million Americans looking for work. The bill will restore benefits for individuals who have been out of work for more than six months. Benefits will be retroactive to June 2, 2010, when the last extension expired.

“Catholic Charities USA is pleased that the Administration and Congress have moved to improve and strengthen our nation’s economic safety net,” stated Rev. Larry Snyder, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA. “For hard-working families living paycheck to paycheck, the loss of a job is devastating, and every day the struggle to survive becomes even more difficult. While we will continue to fight for long-term recovery and real, sustainable change, extending unemployment benefits will enable millions of Americans to avoid falling deeper into poverty.”

The bill will help workers like Denise Gibson, a consumer of services from Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens, who stood alongside the President earlier in the week as he called on Congress to extend unemployment benefits.

Fr. Snyder added, “Our most recent quarterly survey of local Catholic Charities agencies reminds us that the economic crisis is far from over. Across the country, unemployment continues to increase and more and more working families are seeking emergency assistance for the first time. It is our mission to ensure the needs of the least among us are not forgotten and that any recovery is a recovery for all.”

In its Centennial year, Catholic Charities USA calls upon the government to do more to support the 39 million Americans struggling in poverty and improve public policies that strengthen and support families. Catholic Charities USA supports the creation and expansion of programs that strengthen workforce development through education and training, enabling more families to participate in the future economic success of the country.

Catholic Charities USA’s members provide help and create hope for more than 9 million people a year regardless of religious, social, or economic backgrounds. For almost 300 years, Catholic Charities agencies have worked to reduce poverty by providing a myriad of vital services in their communities, ranging from health care and job training to food and housing. In 2010, Catholic Charities USA celebrates its centennial anniversary.