Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc.

We are fully licensed adoption agency and we welcome the opportunity to assist birth parents, adoptive parents, and adoptees with their lifelong journey of adoption. We offer education and guidance, information and referral, home studies (domestic and international), placement, post-placement supervision, counseling and support and post adoption information and search services for all members of the adoption triad.

Bridges to Prosperity is designed to look at the core issues surrounding poverty and its impact on the community. The chronically poor often seek assistance not only from Catholic Charities but also other agencies as often as they are allowed. They are being maintained in their poverty by well-intentioned, necessary programs. However, Bridges is designed to decrease poverty and increase self-sufficiency. This program is unique because it is a self-empowerment program to combat poverty. Bridges helps participants better understand the culture of poverty and how to make changes to progress into the culture of self-sufficiency or the economic middle class. Participants develop an awareness of the "hidden rules" of each economic class. Clients investigate and examine their lives and choices, their community and its resources, and create action plans to achieve self-selected goals. The Program Coordinator facilitates the investigation; the group supports each other; mentors assist and guide the participant's movement out of poverty. Bridges to Prosperity a three-part program that helps look at poverty as a personal and social issue. Part 1 begins with financial fitness: a four-week course designed to help find extra dollars every month to save, create a spending plan, and avoid falling into money and credit traps. Part 2 is a 16-week course “Getting ahead in a just getting by world” here we dig deeper into the causes of poverty and its impacts on the community and the individual. We work with client to establish objectives and goals to help them become self-sufficient. Part 3 involves matching the graduates up with community Allies to work together toward the goals set out in part 2.

Caring Choices, provides services and advocacy for women with unplanned pregnancies. In accordance with the mission to respect life, our services are designed to help preserve and protect the life of the child, provide care and nurturing for women and children, and to assist in building up families through adoption. Caring Choices provides counseling and supportive services to expectant parents. Expectant parents need acceptance, understanding, and help to think through their situation to determine the best plan for them and their child. The purpose is to assist them with the process of making an informed choice regarding their future and the future of the child by providing information, counseling, referral, and at times financial resources. Should the expectant parents decide to make an adoption plan for their child a referral is made to the adoption program so counselors can work together to meet the needs of the family. The adoption program is adjunct to the pregnancy counseling program. Women have two main life affirming options when it comes to an unplanned pregnancy. They can choose to parent or make an adoption plan for their child. The purpose of the Caring Choices Pregnancy Program is to offer a safe place for a woman to explore her options. Catholic Charities offers free, confidential and supportive pregnancy counseling in a caring environment. If needed, pregnancy tests are available at no charge. The program gives information and resources in a non-biased and non-coercive way. The counselor listens to the client’s concerns and offer non-judgmental support and information. Support is also offered to others involved in the client’s life including: the child’s father, the spouse or significant other, and other family members. If a client chooses to parent, the counselor will then consider their concerns about becoming a parent, evaluate what they will need to provide for themselves and their child’s future, identify resources available for them and their child, and explore what is important to them. Additionally, each client can engage in EWYL, Earn While You Learn, curriculum to obtain baby items and learn more about their pregnancy, labor and delivery, and parenting. If a client chooses adoption, the counselor can help them learn what adoption means for them and their child, understand their options within adoption, explore feelings about adoption, create a personal plan for themselves and their child, and receive counseling and support throughout their pregnancy, hospitalization, and post-delivery.

Eligibility determination services for persons living with HIV/AIDS who are applying for Ryan White funded services (ADAP, ADAP Premium Plus, Ryan White Case Management, clinic services) and HOPWA. The program covers 15 counties in North Central Florida. In order for a client to be eligible to apply for Ryan White services, they must meet the State of Florida Eligibility Requirements. Once a client is determined eligible, he/she is referred to the needed service.

Homelessness prevention by providing one time rent/utility assistance and housing stabilization services to persons living with HIV/AIDS.
o Goal: To stabilize client's housing situation and prevent homelessness.

Camp I Am Special offers both residential and day summer camp experience for children, teenagers and adults who have intellectual and developmental differences. The camp provides gained independence for our campers and respite for the care givers. The camp also provides youth volunteer opportunities to over 400 teens and young adults yearly, giving them an opportunity for service and educational experience in the related fields of disability. The goal of Camp I Am Special is to offer social inclusion opportunities for those with disabilities, respite for families and care givers, service opportunities for teens and young adults, and stewardship opportunities for parishes and community organizations.

Catholic Charities provides basic needs to individuals and families that are in distress and can help prevent homelessness. We provide 2 to 3 days of non-perishable food to those in need once every 30 to 90 days. The agency is able to provide rental/mortgage assistance along with stabilization services as necessary to help a homeless individual or family move as quickly as possible into permanent housing and achieve stability in that housing Our goal is to prevent homelessness by providing basic needs to individuals and families on the brink of homelessness.

To provide assistance for individuals, families and communities to understand the immigration and naturalization system and assist them with the process without discrimination according to the laws and regulations of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service and the Department of Homeland Security. Services include, family petitions for relatives residing outside or inside the United States; applications for Naturalization (Citizenship); applications for Adjustment of Status; applications for Employment Authorization; applications for Temporary Protected Status (TPS); applications for removal of conditions; consultations; address change and status change with immigration; appointments with the local immigration service center; translations of vital records and documents; case status updates; and, referrals.

The Refugee Resettlement programs provides facilitates transitions into the US. For Refugees to the U.S. with a goal of assisting clients to attain self-sufficiency in new country using program services.