Sister Donna Markham, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), submitted testimony for the record to the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services, Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development and Insurance about Catholic Charities’ service to people experiencing homelessness. The full document can be read here.
Sr. Markham’s testimony, based on the experience of CCUSA and its 167 Catholic Charities agencies across the country, recommended specific actions the federal government should take to reduce homelessness. The recommendations include more resources for street outreach and permanent supportive housing, a system for information sharing among providers for homeless clients, and a streamlined process for homeless individuals to access aid.
In 2020, Catholic Charities agencies helped almost 180,000 people access stable and affordable housing, provided homeless-related services to over 430,000 individuals, and operated over 37,000 units of permanent housing.
A major initiative of CCUSA is its Healthy Housing pilot that coordinates the work of Catholic Charities agencies and Catholic health services to reduce chronic homelessness. The goal is for clients to receive housing, case management and social services at or nearby the same location they receive primary care and behavioral health services. To learn more about CCUSA’s Healthy Housing Initiative, click here. The CCUSA Social Policy team advocates for policies that uphold human dignity and promote integral human development. Learn more here.
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ABOUT CATHOLIC CHARITIES
A member of Caritas Internationalis, Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) is the national office for Catholic Charities agencies nationwide. Catholic Charities USA’s members provide help and create hope to more than 15 million people a year regardless of religious, social or economic backgrounds. To learn more about CCUSA, please visit our website at www.catholiccharitiesusa.org.
