Catholic Charities Diocese of Brooklyn Subordinate

Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens is committed to effectively responding to human needs. With a broad array of services throughout Brooklyn and Queens, we can positively impact people's lives throughout their lifespans. We see ourselves as partners with those we serve and want to support them as they journey through life. To do this, we seek to develop innovative services that address the needs of our changing communities.

Recognizing that poverty will always be a challenge for our communities, we aim to develop innovative programs to help break the cycle of poverty in our communities where generational poverty is inherent. Knowing that poverty affects every aspect of a person's life: physical, social, emotional, and mental, our programs address the root cause and focus on helping our clients gain self-sufficiency. We currently have over 160 programs to target support to our most vulnerable residents, including 60 emergency food pantries, early childhood centers, youth employment programs, mental health and addiction services, senior services, and more.

Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens operates under three strategic directions that serve our mission:

1) Innovation: Our world is changing faster than ever, and communities change rapidly, resulting in changing needs. We seek out and provide innovative service opportunities that can address these needs.

2) Presence: We are partners with the community and believe in being grounded in the community. We do this through actively participating in local events and meetings with residents, elected officials, and community leaders. Developing a strong presence in the community demonstrates a commitment to supporting communities.

3) Sustainability: In the vision of Pope Francis's encyclical, Laudato Si, we seek to provide sustainable homes and services, not just from a financial perspective but from an impact perspective. Sustainable housing and programs genuinely speak to a community's needs, and it also means having the infrastructure necessary to support the services.

We consistently evaluate our programs and service delivery to ensure holistic care to our clients in need. When a client visits one of our 60 emergency food pantries, we want them to think about their current health, understand their food choices and ensure that they have healthy options, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, low-fat and wholesome grains, and dairy foods. Blood pressure and diabetes screenings make sense at our Olde Adult Centers since the diagnosis of these illnesses nearly doubles over 60. Daddy-and-me at our early childhood centers helps provide for the family's well-being. Mental health is also essential in ensuring a positive outcome in generational poverty. To help our communities with those struggling with mental illnesses and substance abuse, we offer access to over five clinics in the communities with no-low-cost care.

Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens' Laudato Si Corporation has a new renewable energy initiative focused on climate change. The Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens Laudato Si Corporation will generate renewable energy by installing new solar photovoltaic systems on the roofs of existing and future affordable housing developments in the housing portfolio of Catholic Charities. The launch of the Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens' Laudato Si Corporation is the fruition of a 2018 interreligious dialogue on sustainability with a U.S. delegation of leaders and Pope Francis.

Finding innovative ways to enhance our programs and services allows us to address short- and long-term contributors to poverty, hunger, social justice, and climate change. This can help break the cycle and improve outcomes for many of our clients. By implementing this approach, we can better develop effective responses to human needs.

Since 1899, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens has been changing lives and building communities while serving our neighbors in need with mercy and compassion. We currently sponsor more than 160 programs and services for children and youth, adults and seniors, persons with developmental disabilities, those who are mentally ill, and the isolated. In addition, we are one of the country's largest faith-based providers of affordable housing.

Countless members of our community in Brooklyn and Queens have turned to Catholic Charities for assistance. We address issues of poverty and promote justice in our communities, empowering families and individuals to achieve greater self-sufficiency.

Catholic Charities develops effective responses to human needs and joins all people of goodwill in advocating for a social order that promotes justice and embraces human development.

In 2022, Catholic Charities has:
• Served more than 500,000 clients in 2022
• Distributed over $11 million in food assistance to families, children, the homebound elderly, and seniors living in our affordable housing residences
• Distributed over 3,521,000 meals at our network of 60 parish-based food pantries
• Provided 251,775 meals at 24 Pop Up food distributions
• Served 518,473 meals through our Home Delivered Meals Program to homebound seniors (including Recovery Meals)
• Provided services to 16,320 seniors through our Older Adult Services
• Delivered 46,800 hours of case management services to 13,000 seniors at our senior centers and case management programs
• Served more than 6,650 clients at our Mental Health and Rehab & Recovery Programs
• Provided immediate emergency services to approximately 2,700 clients at our walk-in centers
• Responded to over 35,000 calls for assistance through our Catholic Charities Call Center
• Provided more than 4,567 affordable housing units for seniors, families, the formerly homeless, those with HIV and those struggling with mental illnesses
• Nurtured 1,766 children and provided them with more than 453,000 meals at our Early Childhood Centers and Family Child Care Programs