A youth named Aaron lives in one of the most impoverished and gang-impacted communities in
Catholic Charities has operated in a unique partnership with the City of
Without the Center, youth and young adults will lose critical services and role models that help them maintain a positive lifestyle and stay in school. Without this safe haven, there will be an increase in gang activity and youth violence in our City.
Catholic Charities is organizing in the community and working with our political leaders to find a way to keep the Center’s doors open. Look for announcements on our website and Facebook page about events and letter-writing campaigns. We ask for your support to help us continue to Change Lives for Good at
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A key struggle in the Campaign to Reduce Poverty in < ?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />
Social Enterprise Tax Credits will provide for profit corporations an incentive to invest in public benefit enterprises in a manner similar to the highly successful affordable housing tax credit program. Expanding the concept of affordable housing tax credits to other areas of social good creates the potential to leverage large sums of capital investments in these areas. Investors would receive a fixed tax credit percentage for their investment over a period of time. Since it is a tax credit and not simply a tax deduction, there is a greater advantage to the corporation and a larger benefit to the social enterprise.
Examples include creating capital investments in projects that are scalable and replicable and thus have the potential to reach large numbers of low-income individuals, such as 1) developing and distributing below market medicines and medical supplies; 2) creating access to information technologies by low-income communities; 3) expanding community-based sustainable agricultural; 4) sustaining, creating and/or expanding social businesses that develop living wage jobs; 5) developing and distributing low cost alternative energy to low-income communities; 6) developing high quality affordable schools in low-income communities.
Projects eligible for tax credit financing would have to demonstrate a public benefit in a way similar to affordable housing development, that is, certain percentages of beneficiaries would qualify for a price reduction based on incomes being lower than median income levels for the region.
TAX DAY 2010
Proposal: Help cut poverty by changing the current corporate tax code to enable for-profit corporations to maximize social and environmental good along with earning profits.
For profit publicly traded corporations have a primary responsibility to maximize the profit of their shareholders. The current law presents a barrier for corporations with a double and triple bottom line: (social good and environmental sustainability in addition to profits), in that it subordinates the mission of these businesses to a single dimension: economic profit to shareholders. However now there is a movement among businesses with a social purpose to change state corporation laws, e.g., < ?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />
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Check out http://www.bcorporation.net/.
This is a great way to get for profit corporations with a social conscience on board the Campaign to Reduce Poverty in
Dear Friends,
The images of natural disasters on TV show sudden devastation, evoking shock and pity and a natural desire to help. At the same time many in our own community are facing the unnatural disaster of poverty. This slow moving disaster is much quieter. You don’t see it on the nightly news, except perhaps through the occasional dry statistics on unemployment, foreclosure rates, homelessness, hunger and drop out rates. It’s felt more in the quiet desperation and frustration of families struggling hard to make ends meet and not quite making it. Yet this disaster threatens our very community with a poorly educated workforce, increased gang violence, increased rates of illness, and a growing gap between haves and have-nots.
Now imagine what life could be like for these families when they are able to step out of the cycle of poverty. Imagine a community in which everyone has a safe and decent home, where every child has an equal opportunity to succeed in school and isn’t afraid to walk home, where no child or senior goes to bed hungry, where all families have access to affordable quality healthcare including mental health care, and where all workers can make an honest living with pay sufficient to make ends meet.
Catholic Charities is dedicated to resolving the slow-moving tragedies in our midst. The everyday tragedies of workers without jobs, families without homes, children unable to read, individuals unable to get health care, and seniors without food should be at the forefront of our concerns.
When people — right in our own community — lack sufficient access to the basics like food, housing, jobs, education and health care, our faith calls us to act on their behalf regardless of their circumstances.
The time to act is now.
It is time for us to step up — to learn more about the reality of poverty in our midst, to step up and do more to help people help themselves, and to contribute toward cutting poverty in half by 2020.
What can we do?
Imagine the way that life could be for people in our community … and together let’s work to make it a reality.
All the best!
All affordable housing projects in San Jose would be halted for the next five years if San Jose’s Redevelopment Agency (RDA) enacts their proposal to use $75 million from its Affordable Housing fund in order to meet the State of California’s requirement that the agency give the state an interest free loan of $75 million.
This proposal by the RDA has a direct impact on nonprofit housing developers, including Charities Housing, and their ability to survive in the near future.
“To completely gut the one program that helps the poor is outrageous,” said Greg Kepferle, CEO of Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County and Board President of Charities Housing. “From a moral perspective it goes against the principle that the poor and vulnerable need to be protected first.”
The RDA’s proposal would pull the rug out from underneath the Destination: Home goal to end homelessness and Step Up Silicon Valley’s campaign to cut poverty (The City of San Jose is an official partner and endorser of both Destination: Home and Step Up Silicon Valley).
“We are asking that the RDA stop and consider other alternatives, such as a fair distribution of the cuts, or looking at lower priority development areas to cut first, or other creative solutions,” said Kepferle.
There are a number of savings the RDA can make by deferring lower priority projects out several years. We recognize that the RDA has already made substantial cuts and that more may be needed, but to completely gut the one program that helps the poor is outrageous.
Solutions and alternatives:
1. Affordable housing receives 20% of tax increment revenues, so should contribute 20% of debt, $15 million.
2. Delete $2 million in RDA capital expenditure and indirect for next two years. Capital budget has decreased by 67% but operations related to it only 20%.
3. Defer $10 million from “encumbered” projects of lowest priority.
4. Defer $10 million from lowest priority capital projects for next three years, that is 10% of these projects.
These will get RDA closer to dealing with the state without completely forcing the poor residents of the city to bear the entire burden.
Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County’s Supportive Housing Services has a new housing program for homeless families currently in shelters. < ?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
Housing Specialists from Catholic Charities will help families locate and secure apartments to rent or lease throughout < ?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />
The program is intended to help homeless parents gain or increase their income through case management, employment counseling services and financial education services. There are also some funds available for childcare during educational workshops and other activities related to employment. Bus tokens or passes will be made available to help parents achieve their goals.
In order to be considered for the program, eligible parents:
Some special categorical needs, such as domestic violence, veteran status, and geographical location may be considered in reviewing the applications.
Anyone can refer an eligible family to our new program
If you have further questions about the program, please contact Edna Nagy at (408) 325-5100 x 309 or enagy@ccsj.org.
Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County’s largest fundraising effort to assist the poor takes place in May throughout the Diocese of San Jose.
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The May Appeal provides Catholic Charities its crucial unrestricted dollars, funds which can be allocated wherever they are most needed to better serve the poor and vulnerable.
“Help the poor hold on – together we can get through this,” is the theme of this year’s campaign. Last year nearly $600,000 was raised during the May Appeal and this year’s goal is to exceed $700,000.
Catholic Charities’ ability to sustain critical programs is directly tied to the Appeal’s outcome. Every gift will go directly to support Catholic Charities’ programs.
Nearly one in four households in < ?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />
When one-quarter of the people living in a community are poor, poverty should be considered a crisis. Last year we saw 37 percent more clients than the year before, and the numbers continue to climb. At the same time we are facing the challenges of cuts in government and foundation funds.
Catholic Charities is distributing more food at its service sites around the county and the agency has expanded its job training and job placement services. Catholic Charities is also proactively supporting state legislation that will help our clients – restoring long term care ombudsman funding, expanding outreach for Earned Income Tax Credits, and supporting a new economic security standard for elders.
Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County annually serves more than 37,000 people of all cultures and beliefs through a broad base of programs including children/youth services and education; housing services; job skills training and placement; older adult services; mental health counseling; financial education; immigration; and refugee resettlement.
I know it feels harder to give at this time, but we need everyone’s help now, more than ever before. Through the work of Catholic Charities, a small sacrifice for us can make a big difference to others.
For about the cost of a family dinner in a nice restaurant, a donor could provide six weeks of computer classes to help one low-income youth do better in school or prepare for a job; purchase a work permit for a newly arrived refugee who is trying to support his family; or offer two days of adult day care for an elder with Alzheimer’s and give a much-needed break to their caregiver.
With the support of individuals in the parishes and the community, we can give people the tools they need to lift themselves from poverty and live with dignity and self-sufficiency.
Catholic Charities remains focused on helping build long-term self-sufficiency so that one day its clients would not need assistance anymore.
In addition to donating during the Masses, people may also contribute to the May Appeal by donating online at http://www.catholiccharitiesscc.org/.
And thanks to a Sobrato Family Foundation Challenge Grant, people can double their contributions. The Sobrato Family Foundation will match 2 to 1 every new dollar donated to Catholic Charities, which means any amount given above last year’s contribution will be matched by the Foundation.
To obtain more information about the Appeal or to make a donation, contact Cindy Zbin, Catholic Charities’ Associate Director of Development, (408) 325-5125 or czbin@ccsj.org.
Propositions 1D and 1E deserve NO votes at this year’s May 19
California legislators are ignoring the will of the people who passed Proposition 10, an initiated constitutional amendment, in 1998 despite the tobacco industry spending more than $29 million in their attempt to defeat the ballot issue.
Proposition 10, the California Children and Families First Act of 1998, imposed additional tax on cigarettes of 50 cents/pack, as well as additional taxes on other tobacco products. With the revenue from those taxes, the state government created state and county commissions to establish early childhood development, school readiness, health insurance for children, adult education for parents and smoking prevention programs.
Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), has expanded and transformed California’s county mental health service systems by having high income individuals pay an additional one percent tax on individual, but not corporate, taxable income in excess of $1 million.
We can end the tragedies of kids failing in school, strengthen families, prevent homelessness, assist people with mental health issues and change lives for good by keeping in tact the program funding the voters had implemented. It was right then – and is right today.
Let’s keep Prop. 10 … the
Let’s keep Prop-63 … the Mental Health Services Act … for our children, our seniors, our neighbors and for our future.
Vote NO on Propositions 1D and 1E.
Recently I had the amazing opportunity to walk in our clients’ shoes and experience poverty – for an hour. I know that a “Poverty Simulation” can never re-create fully the day-in and day-out feelings of hopelessness, anxiety and frustration our families experience as they struggle to survive. Yet it profoundly touched me and inspired me to re-dedicate myself to ending poverty right here in Santa Clara County.
People often ask me how the economic crisis is affecting Catholic Charities. I often respond, “Business is booming — unfortunately.” Last year we saw 37% more clients than the year before, and the numbers continue to climb. At the same time we are facing the challenges of cuts in government and foundation funds. Fortunately at Christmas, individual donors came through as never before. As one donor said, “I may be hurting a little, but I know the people you serve are hurting a lot more.”
Even so, we are finding we can’t meet the growing need by ourselves. We find ourselves partnering more with other organizations and churches. Catholic Charities is distributing more food and we have expanded our job training and job placement services. We are proactively supporting state legislation that will help our clients – restoring long term care ombudsman funding, expanding outreach for Earned Income Tax Credits, and supporting a new economic security standard for elders.
Our task is deep and challenging. It asks for our best. It is not enough to feed more and more of our hungry seniors; it is not enough to raise the literacy levels of our students; it is not enough for us to help people with behavioral health issues move to recovery; it is not enough that we provide safe havens from gangs for youth; it is not enough that we create a welcoming home for immigrants and refugees. We must do more. We also must question the causes of poverty in the midst of such a wealthy county, and ask how that condition of poverty can be changed by individual, community, business, and government action. Join us and be an agent for change. Help the poor hold on.
All the best!