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  • THE STRATEGY OF COMPASSION

Our Approach

We take poverty personally.

At Catholic Charities Fort Worth we have seen years of success working to help those affected by poverty. We have been able to grow our services, expand our reach, and improve the lives of our clients.

“Accompanying on its own is not enough. It is not enough to offer someone a sandwich unless it is accompanied by the possibility of learning how to stand on one’s own two feet. Charity that leaves the poor person as he is, is not sufficient. True mercy, the mercy God gives to us and teaches us, demands justice, it demands that the poor find the way to be poor no longer. It asks — and it asks us, the Church, us, the City of Rome, it asks the institutions — to ensure that no one ever again stand in need of a soup-kitchen, of makeshift lodgings, of a service of legal assistance in order to have his legitimate right recognized to live and to work, to be fully a person.”

—Pope Francis

Holistic solutions mean recognizing the human dignity of each individual and structuring services that emphasize self-worth. We’re not interested in a mere transactional relationship. We want to transform lives.

 In 2016, because of Catholic Charities Fort Worth:

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people were trained for jobs

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students increased their likelihood of success

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people became U.S. citizens

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%

of refugees in our Match Grant
program became self-sufficient
within six months

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children rewrote their future

IN 2016 WE SERVED TENS OF THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES

Who We Serve

tent-iconRefugees

There are more than 16 million refugees in the world today. Refugees come to us to escape persecution based on race, religion, nationality, social status, and more. They come to us ready for a new life and we provide the housing, health, language, and education support that’s needed for long-term success.

homelessHomeless

More than 1,900 people were identified as homeless in the Tarrant County 2017 count. The government’s definition of homeless excludes many of those in need. Instead of working to help, many communities have enforced laws that criminalize the homeless. We want to help each person without a place to live find stability in a place to call home.

immigrantImmigrants

One in six Texans is an immigrant. Isn’t it time we treat them as true Texans? Our Immigration Services address legal, financial, language, citizenship and career needs that help each person become part of the community. Our immigration services respond to one simple Gospel call: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” (Mt. 25:35)

populationsVulnerable Populations

26% of children in Fort Worth live in poverty. Children and senior citizens are some of the most vulnerable groups in our community. Our goal is to ensure each person, no matter what age, is safe from abuse or neglect and is given the respect and dignity they deserve. We have services designed to address the specific needs of the elderly and children.

veteransVeterans

25% of veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan have trouble feeding themselves or their families. We rely on these men and women to protect our country but fall short to be there for them when they return home. We work with the US Department of Veterans Affairs to promote housing stability and link veterans to needed benefits.

piggybankWorking Poor

In Tarrant County, 44% of those in poverty are employed. Despite having a stable income, these people still struggle to provide basic necessities for their families. Our Workforce Services address the barriers to employment to help move each client from the safety net to the stability of solid ground.

Why We Serve

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We take seriously Christ’s call to treat all persons with dignity. And our goal is to give each client the opportunity to get completely out of poverty.

With the way the federal system is designed, people receive services for each of their needs independently from other problems they may be facing. The current welfare structure requires people to follow prescribed programs that may not meet their needs or help them make any progress. By failing to customize benefits to individual needs, we rob people of the right to be the authority on their own lives, to manage their own situations, and to fully participate in the process of achieving their highest potential.

That’s where we come in. Case management allows us to serve in a holistic way. We believe that by focusing on serving the people rather than just addressing a single issue, we can effectively eradicate poverty and the issues that trap people in its cycle.

How We Serve

Holistic case management is the critical intervention needed to help eliminate poverty. Rather than siloed programs, we believe in looking from every angle to see the complex challenges that face each group of people in need.

“The cycle of poverty and its accompanying symptoms will continue to persist until we do something new to break it.”

—Heather Reynolds, CEO

It is time for a catalyst that breaks the expired system, and we believe our person-centered approach could be that catalyst. We’ve seen firsthand how case management effectively moves people out of poverty.

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Good case managers help clients manage the situation; they do not “manage” the client. Effective case management is a participative process in which the client and case manager work together to holistically move a family forward for long-term success.

Putting It To The Test

Padua and Stay the Course utilize holistic case management to give people the support they need to find their path out of poverty. We are currently testing both solutions to see how effective they are at helping our clients and how we can use these methods to eradicate poverty in Fort Worth. Learn more.

  • Stay The Course
  • Padua

Discover the impact our work is making. The Stories

Contact

817.534.0814
infocatholiccharities@ccdofw.org
Hours of Operation:
Monday-Thursday, 7:30am-5:30pm
Friday, 7:30am-5:00pm

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