Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, Inc.

Founded in 1928, Catholic Charities is one of the most comprehensive providers of social services to low-income individuals and families in the Washington DC metropolitan region. Guided by our mission to strengthen the lives of all in need, we empower marginalized, low-income individuals and families to achieve self-sufficiency by providing high-quality, person-focused, and culturally-competent wraparound services. Our services are open to any person in need regardless of age, ability, race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or religious beliefs. Catholic Charities currently operates 59 distinct programs in 35 locations across the District of Columbia and the five surrounding Maryland counties. During our fiscal year 2019 (July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019), Catholic Charities served nearly 143,000 individuals.

Catholic Charities’ holistic, integrated, and individualized approach upholds the dignity of every person and empowers the people we serve to regain their stability and independence. Our diverse array of programs focus on several core service areas, including alleviating health disparities by providing integrated medical, dental, and behavioral health care services to children and adults who are un- or underinsured; protecting human rights and dignity through civil and immigration legal services; preventing and ending homelessness by providing shelter and stable housing for individuals and families; creating economic opportunity through adult education and workforce development training; promoting an inclusive community for people of all abilities through education, employment, therapeutic services, and individualized support; and strengthening communities through family support services, mentoring for returning citizens, financial stability education, and volunteer engagement. Our diverse array of 59 programs and our staff of more than 750 dedicated, mission-driven individuals gives Catholic Charities the unique ability to address individuals’ needs with an exceptionally comprehensive, integrated, and compassionate approach.
Our work is strengthened by our collaborations with more than 400 community partners throughout the region, including fellow service providers, government agencies, foundations, businesses, schools, and churches. We also leverage the support of individual community members who volunteer their time to join us in providing help and hope to individuals and families in need. Nearly 6,000 individuals contributed more than 113,000 volunteer hours in support of our programs and clients during our last fiscal year. The value added by our volunteers was $4.7M. In addition, pro bono professionals contributed more than 29,000 volunteer hours valued at more than $27M.

For over 90 years, Catholic Charities has worked to strengthen the lives of individuals and families in need—regardless of background, belief, or circumstance—by providing help that empowers and hope that lasts. Believing that human services should be transformational, not transactional, we meet individuals and families “where they are” and recognize each person’s right to self-determination. Our work is distinctive in that we provide a continuum of support, beginning with a comprehensive intake and continuing through ongoing case management. By addressing and continually assessing individuals’ basic needs (such as food, clothing, housing, medical care, child care, and transportation) as well as more complex or nuanced barriers to their success (such as limited English language skills or the need to develop specific professional soft skills to succeed in the workplace), we strive to give individuals the resources and encouragement to achieve their personal goals on their path to self-sufficiency.

A robust organizational structure supports Catholic Charities’ ability to provide high-quality services to individuals and families in need. Our Executive Team (comprised of the President and Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Chief of Staff, Chief Development Officer, and Vice President of Mission) directs the agency’s daily functions and leads long-term strategic planning efforts. A larger Leadership Team combines the Executive Team with the Executive Directors of Catholic Charities’ five service divisions and other key managers to address agency needs and sustain successful operations. We leverage the strengths of our leadership with the efforts of more than 750 employees. To ensure accountability, the President and CEO reports to Catholic Charities’ Board of Directors. Our Board meets five times per year and currently consists of 11 distinguished community leaders whose experience and expertise span the fields of business, communications, education, finance, policy, and nonprofit management.

To ensure sound fiscal management, budgets are developed and approved for all financial aspects of agency operations. Annual review of the agency’s strategic plan by the Catholic Charities Executive Team establishes operating objectives for use in the budget development process. The annual budget includes sub-budgets for program operations, capital expenses, and cash flow. The management team reviews the budget and the Board of Directors reviews and approves or requests modifications until its approval of a final annual budget. Program and Finance managers share responsibility for ongoing performance against budgeted expectations and development of grant and contract modifications during the fiscal year.

Some of our several key successes from the past year include providing more than 8,500 people with medical and dental health services; opening a new facility for—and doubling the capacity of—our emergency family shelter in Southern Maryland; serving over 2.4 million meals to people experiencing hunger and food insecurity; distributing over one million pounds of food to local pantries; enrolling 275 individuals in ESOL courses; assisting more than 125 lawful permanent residents in becoming U.S. Citizens; providing nearly 1,500 beds each night to individuals and families experiencing homelessness; administering programs for 541 adults and children with developmental disabilities; providing over 6,500 people with critical civil and immigration legal services; and distributing over $36,000 in emergency financial assistance to federal and contract government employees affected by the government shutdown. Catholic Charities also recently launched our new solar array, which is the largest solar project built in the District of Columbia. With over 5,000 solar panels covering five acres of land, the solar array will generate 2.7 million kilowatt-hours of energy per year, offsetting nearly all the energy costs of our agency’s 12 properties in Washington DC. Looking ahead, we are working to dramatically increase the number of immigrants in the DC area who have access to high quality legal, healthcare, and social services by directly scaling Catholic Charities’ programming and case management for immigrants. The agency is currently finalizing our next strategic plan focused on the following long-term goals:

Goal 1: Grow the Catholic Presence in underserved areas of the Archdiocese by promoting parish-based services and access to agency programs and initiatives.
Goal 2: Develop a comprehensive and collaborative approach to link clients to services within our agency and the community.
Goal 3: Increase opportunity to improve healthcare outcomes by providing an integrated approach to behavioral and physical health for those in need.
Goal 4: Provide dignified and safe housing and improve service options that promote housing independence for the homeless and survivors of domestic violence.
Goal 5: Develop a path to employment and self-sufficiency by coordinating and integrating services while maximizing the employment opportunities for those we serve.
Goal 6: Promote safe and accessible services for individuals with developmental disabilities by creating environments that support best practices in a complex regulatory environment
Goal 7: Enhance the ability to assess effectiveness of programs by developing a standardized evaluation process to determine quality and sustainability
Goal 8: Improve the proficiency of all employees by enhancing the appropriate use of technology, establishing an environment of learning, professional development, recognition and promotion that fosters long term employment.