Programs and results
What we aim to solve
We provide help and create hope for the hopeless in Alaska through a variety of supportive services and programs. Through serving our guests and meeting their needs, we strive to help them build hopeful and fulfilled lives. There are over 1,000 people living homeless in Anchorage, and CSS shelters serve nearly 400 of these people every day. Brother Francis Shelter and Clare House are more than just emergency shelters for adults and families. Homeless Family Services Case Managers work around the clock to help people move out of homelessness so that they may experience productive, healthy, and fulfilled lives We know that sheltering homeless people is just one aspect of ending homelessness. The real work is in making sure people stay in their homes. Especially amid challenges such as global pandemics and economic hardships.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Brother Francis Shelter
Brother Francis Shelter, a program of Catholic Social Services, is an emergency shelter for men and women in Anchorage without a home. We serve the homeless with dignity, care, compassion and with an emphasis on moving our guests toward self-sufficiency.
Most of our shelter guests want to transition out of homelessness, and our staff is trained and ready to provide them with every opportunity to do so.
We offer our guests access to a variety of different services and supportive programs to help them transition out of homelessness.
Clare House
Clare House provides services that address the basic needs of clients entering the emergency shelter program. This includes safe, warm shelter, food, water and other necessities for both moms and their children. While families are transitioning out of survival mode, Clare House offers 24-hour support and case management services to help guide families to permanent stability. This program provides our clients with stability, consistency and a positive support system, which works hand in hand in building trust and self-esteem.
Moms and kids are often in compromised situations sleeping in a car or on the street with no where else to go before they find refuge at Clare House.
Case management services are integral to helping women shift from homelessness to independence.
St. Francis House Food Pantry
St. Francis House Food Pantry is the largest client choice food pantry in the state of Alaska, providing about 100 families with an emergency supply of food daily, and at no cost to the client.
Client choice means you pick the food you take home to your family from our shelves, just like the supermarket!
St. Francis House Food Pantry also distributes items for The Emergency Food Assistance Program, senior boxes for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, vouchers for the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, and items for the Summer Food Service Program that serves children 18 years of age and younger.
Refugee Assistance and Immigration Services
Refugee Assistance & Immigration Services (RAIS) provides a bridge for refugees (individuals who have had to flee their countries of origin due to the tragedies of persecution and war) from their former life experiences to the new skills required for success in the United States. Through a focus on economic self-sufficiency, community integration, and a respect for unique cultures, history and traditions, RAIS creates an environment of compassion and encouragement for refugees to flourish.
By providing comprehensive, culturally sensitive case management to assist our clients in learning about the U.S., RAIS seeks to encourage self-sufficiency through early employment.
Homeless Family Services
Homeless Family Services (HFS) is a case management program that helps homeless individuals and homeless families with children. HFS staff work with families to address barriers that prevent them from being self-sufficient. The goal is to connect them to the resources to find a place to call home. HFS travels to the families wherever they may be — a camp site, a motel or a car.
Our case management encompasses, Shelter-Based, Community-Based, and Supportive Services for Veteran Families.
Supportive Family Services
Holistic support for families and reunification services for birth parents and adoptees.
Supportive Family Services (SFS), a program of Catholic Social Services, was formed in 2020 to provide holistic support to families with a variety of needs. SFS also provides reunification services and resources to families who we have facilitated an adoption plan with previously. Through these services, SFS hopes to provide support and resources to families to build strong, healthy families.
Supportive Family Services employs the Strengthening Families framework, which is a “research-informed approach to increase family strengths, enhance child development, and reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect.”
The Strengthening Families framework focuses on building five Protective Factors:
Parental resilience
Social connections
Knowledge of parenting and child development
Concrete support in times of need
Social and emotional competence of children
Family Disability Services
Family Disability Services (FDS) was established in 1981 to provide services for both children and adults with developmental disabilities, as well as offer a support system for their families. Trained providers work with people in their homes or out in the community.
Where we work
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of donors retained
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Age groups, Ethnic and racial groups, Families, Economically disadvantaged people, Veterans
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Our Donor Retention Rate is 50%. We have decreased our "donors" in recently through rigorous data clean up process removing duplicates. This has allowed us to develop connections with donors.
Total dollars received in contributions
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Families, Economically disadvantaged people, Immigrants and migrants, Veterans, Indigenous peoples
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Pounds of produce distributed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Indigenous peoples, Families, Economically disadvantaged people, Immigrants and migrants
Related Program
St. Francis House Food Pantry
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
We are aiming to mend the holes in society's safety net, alleviate suffering, and promote social change by meeting basic human needs and offering thoughtful opportunities for life changing growth.
We keep in mind these guiding principles in our work every single day we serve vulnerable Alaskans.
Reverence for humanity
Striving for excellence
Empowering personal fulfillment
Strengthening community through collaboration
We want to live in a world where our neighbors are housed, safe, and well fed. We believe that our community can achieve this through collaboration, the support of our donors, and the strength of the individuals we serve.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We have transitioned or Homeless Family Services team and case management workers to also work on keeping families housed. We need to find stable and permanent housing for many people in Anchorage but the work does not stop there. We must also support people when they are transitioning out of homelessness. Keeping people housed is important to ending homelessness in our community.
To support people we are:
Offering rent relief
Providing families with tools and household goods
Bill payment relief
Job support
etc.
We are able to do this work because of our generous and loyal donors and community partners.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We are rapidly hiring more case managers and maintaining communication channels throughout our programs so that families can be served and their needs met wherever they are at in life.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since March of 2020 we have either permanently housed or supported over 250 individuals from losing housing. We continue to support clients and ensure resources are accessible to all. We are resilient to the challenges of tomorrow and will continue to rapidly house and ensure that clients receive the best care and support as they gain their independence.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
We provide help and create hope for the hopeless in Alaska through a variety of supportive services and programs. Through serving our guests and meeting their needs, we strive to help them build hopeful and fulfilled lives.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Paper surveys, Case management notes, Constituent (client or resident, etc.) advisory committees,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us,
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection,
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Catholic Social Services
Board of directorsas of 02/25/2022
Elaine Kroll
First National Bank Alaska
Term: 2020 - 2022
Stephanie Aicher
Cook Inlet Region, Inc. (CIRI)
Term: 2020 - 2022
John Conway
High Point Construction
Fr. Scott Medlock
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish
Kirsten Schultz
Providence Health and Services Alaska
Stormy Jarvis
Boretide Properties
Lisa Bruner
ConocoPhillips
Jeff Baird
Rasmuson Foundation
Christian Muntean
Vantage Consulting
Melissa Jay
KPMG
Michelle Egan
Alyeska Pipeline Service Company
Thomas Stark
Wells Fargo Bank
Fr. Pat Travers
Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/05/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.