Recession Bites Catholic Charities
Monday 21 Sep 2009
IRVINE, CA (BMNS) – Catholic news sources are reporting that the current economic recession has boosted Catholic Charities client rolls by 10 percent. It says that the need for housing services like the St. Margaret of Cortona program as well as emergency shelter and permanent housing jumped 12.4 percent in 2008 as the economic recession has gained momentum.
A report says that Catholic Charities agencies served nearly 600,000 people in need of some type of housing assistance in 2008. The 142 Catholic Charities agencies that were involved in a survey for the report - about 85 percent of the nationwide Catholic Charities network - reported serving more than 8.5 million people in 2008, a 10 percent increase from 2007.
A breakdown of the 8.5 million clients shows nearly half -- 48 percent -- were adults 18 to 64 years old, 29 percent were children and 13 percent were seniors. Ten percent were unknown.
Catholic Charities agencies had revenues of more than $3.9 billion in 2008. Two-thirds of the revenue came from local, state and federal government sources.
The survey also revealed:
- Nearly 6.3 million people sought food services, a 3.8 percent decline from 2007.
- More than 3.6 million people -- a 4.7 percent increase -- received social services such as education, day care, programs aimed at at-risk populations, health care, and socialization and neighborhood services.
- More than 1.7 million people -- an 11 percent jump -- received assistance with basic needs, such as clothing, utility payments, emergency financial needs and prescriptions.
- Slightly more than 1 million people -- a 7.3 percent decline -- received various services that fall under what Catholic Charities USA calls strengthening families, including counseling and mental health, addiction, pregnancy, adoption, immigration and refugee services.
- More than 330,000 people received disaster services, a decrease of 21 percent from 2007, but still nearly 60 percent more than in 2005.
- More than 67,000 people -- a 35 percent spike -- received employment services.
Overall, the statistics reflected the nationwide growth in poverty in 2008 reported September 10 by the U.S. Census Bureau. Census data show that 39.8 million people -- 13.2 percent of the population -- lived in poverty last year, up from 37.3 million people, or 12.5 percent, in 2007.
