Program areas at Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County
Children, Youth and Family DevelopmentServes all ages through a community-based approach to empower participants to improve their education, health, and family relationships to strengthen their resiliency and prevent poverty. See Schedule O for detail on specific programs.
Refugee Foster CareProvides support and placement for unaccompanied refugee minors with host foster families in Santa Clara County and eight other counties in the Bay Area. The program trains and supports persons who want to become foster parents.
Community Advocacy and Family SupportThis program includes Older Adult Services; Emergency Programs and Housing Services; Cathedral Social Ministries; Advocacy and Community Engagement; and Youth Empowered for Success. See Schedule O for detail on specific programs.
Economic Development ServicesEnables participants to move out of poverty and toward self-reliance. Programs under the Economic Development Services umbrella include:Employment Network provides comprehensive job readiness, pre-employment, job placement, job retention, and job upgrade services to people with mental illness and those formerly incarcerated through Focus for Work and Right Directions programs and helps any unemployed person find work through Pathfinder.Focus for Work provides individual and group employment preparation services, job development services, and post-employment support for adults diagnosed with mental illness.Right Directions provides individual and group employment preparation services, job development services, and post-employment support for adults re-entering from jail or prison.Individual Placement & Support Services provides full scope employment services for individuals with a mental health diagnosis and desire to work.Fee for Service provides employment services for adults referred by the Department of Rehabilitation.JobTrek provides services for individuals referred by the Probation Department of Santa Clara County and needing assistance to access employment opportunities.Pathfinder employment, a new program added during the year ended June 30, 2022, provides individual and group employment preparation services, job development services, and post employment support for any job seeker.Family Asset Development, a new program added during the year ended June 30, 2022, provides families with assistance in enrolling for public benefits including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamps program; Medi-Cal, which pays for a variety of medical services for children and adults with limited income and resources; and California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs), a public assistance program that provides cash aid and services to eligible low-income families that have a child(ren) in the home. Additionally, eligible families can receive help filing taxes through TAX EZ to receive Earned Income Tax Credits and/or Child Tax Credits.Financial Education Services enables clients to acquire basic financial literacy and move toward establishing economic stability through effective money management and budgeting. It includes free financial education programs for low-income individuals and families.Immigration Legal Services are fully accredited by the federal Board of Immigration Appeals to provide professional legal consultations and a full range of immigration legal services for low-income people throughout Santa Clara County. Services include family visas, fiance/e-visa, adjustment of status, employment authorization, re-entry permit and advance parole, political asylum, special immigrant juvenile, religious visa, family unity, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), Violence Against Women's Act (VAWA), Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA), inadmissibility waivers, removal defense, representation, Freedom of Information Act requests, citizenship information and applications, photos and fingerprinting, DACA services and education, and legal services to Unaccompanied Immigrant Children.South County Citizenship Services offers citizenship services in Gilroy, Morgan Hill, and San Martin, California. Citizenship services include application assistance, interview preparation, legal assistance or referral to legal assistance. Free South County Citizenship Days are held twice a year.Behavioral Health ServicesWorking to improve the wellbeing of our participants through mental health and case management services, programs under the Behavioral Health Services (BHS) umbrella include:CalWORKs Health Alliance is a multicultural outpatient mental health and substance abuse program for CalWORKs participants that helps improve personal and family issues that may keep them from finding economic and emotional self-sufficiency.Family and Children's Services offers outpatient services for children who are seriously and emotionally disturbed and their families. Services include psychiatric evaluations, medical monitoring, therapy, prevention and early intervention, case management and family support, including supervised and home visits. Programs include: Children's Counseling; Prevention and Early Intervention; and Baby Steps.Older Adult Services: Older Adult Outpatient Program provides case management and mental health services, including medication support, to older adults who are experiencing chronic emotional problems.Older Adult Outpatient Program also develops support groups and educates family members and community service providers about helping older adults with mental health conditions. Transitioning Off and Preventing Placement (TOPP) provides mental health services to youth ages 5 to 18 in Santa Clara County. Clients cannot have Medi-Cal and must either be uninsured or have private insurance that does not meet their needs.RISE - Probation - Gang Reduction Intervention Program and Support Enhancement Services provides mental health and case management support for youth on probation.Supportive Housing Services at Charities Housing Development Corporation (CHDC) provides service coordination, and referrals for residents of CHDC units.Footsteps: Paths to Self-SufficiencyThis place-based and family-centered community change model, which is part of the agency's strategic vision, assists entire families on their journeys to economic mobility and self-sufficiency. Family members ranging in age from newborn to grandparents are paired with guides to help them better access multiple services based on their multiple and individual needs. The goal is breaking the cycle of poverty through trauma-informed care, service guides, wrap-around services, a seamless welcome, and community engagement. "Footsteps" is evidence-based to disrupt poverty in specific neighborhoods. In addition to the increase in braided services for families, this strategic initiative is supported by a responsive infrastructure to upgrade operations including the agency's data, technology and systems; as well as becoming a "World-Class Learning Organization; and ensuring new and additional funding. Inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit of Silicon Valley, the Organization is reimagining social justice and social service programs. The goal is to transform the ways in which we, as a community, address not just the symptoms of poverty--food insecurity, homelessness, lack of access to education and health care, and economic insecurity--but also the complex, intertwined causes that threaten the health and stability of our neighborhoods. In doing so, the Organization will revolutionize care for the poor and those in need by providing more accessible and sustainable paths to lives of dignity and self-sufficiency.