Catholic Charities of the East Bay

PUBLIC POLICY
The mission of Catholic Charities is to serve those most in need, while calling for justice in the community. Catholic Charities recognizes its responsibility to effect social change through advocating and acting for just social policies. We encourage our community partners, trustees, staff, volunteers and others who are interested in creating lasting change to join us in the work of advocacy to benefit those in need.

As the social service and social action arm of the Diocese of Oakland, Catholic Charities implements its public policy agenda in the context of the Diocese's strategic plan as it relates to social service concerns.

All of the advocacy work that Catholic Charities does is rooted in our mission, core values and the moral principles of Catholic Social Teaching, which inform and inspire our advocacy work.

In setting public policy, Catholic Charities chooses priorities for action based on the following criteria. Our actions put the people we serve at the forefront of our decisions, responding to the greatest need in the most tangibly effective way. We give weight to issues that place people living in poverty and on the margins at the forefront of our work. Catholic Charities' public policy actions support the ongoing work on issues within its service programs. We also consider actions where Catholic Charities can initiate and work with coalitions, especially actions in which we are likely to get a collective voice of the Catholic community and where there is potential to help us respond to the needs of poor and homeless people.

Collaborative efforts with the Diocese of Oakland
Catholic Housing Initiative of the East Bay - Diocese of Oakland Social Justice Resources

The CATHOLIC CAMPAIGN FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT CCHD stands with poor and low-income people, helping them to create permanent solutions to poverty in their communities. Real, sustainable change is happening across the East Bay.

The Most Reverend Allen H. Vigneron
Former Bishop of Oakland

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development is the domestic anti-poverty, social justice program of the U.S. Catholic Bishops. Its mission is to address the root causes of poverty in America through the promotion and support of community-controlled self-help organizations. To learn more about the work of the USCCB's to combat poverty visit CCHD online at http://www.usccb.org/cchd/index.shtml.

Founded in 1969, CCHD follows the pastoral strategy of empowerment of the poor through a methodology of participation and education for justice, leading towards solidarity between poor and non-poor. This is a stance impelled by the Church's biblical tradition, modern Catholic Social Teaching, and the pervasive presence of poverty in the United States. This ministry of justice is rooted in our baptism and faith commitment.

Last year in the Diocese of Oakland, the CATHOLIC CAMPAIGN FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT funded ten groups in Contra Costa and Alameda Counties. Four groups received national grants, six groups received local grants for a total of $156,000. Download a list of the most recently funded organizations.
2008 CCHD Locally Funded Organizations.pdf

Apply for a CCHD Local Grant
Your non-profit may be eligible for a local grant this year from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. To learn more, download our Local Grant Guidelines and Application. The deadline for submission is July 31, 2009.
CCHD Local Grant Guidelines 2009.pdf
CCHD Local Grant Application 2009.pdf

For more information, contact Matt Gibson at 510-768-3141

The local office of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development is located at Catholic Charities of the East Bay, 433 Jefferson Street, Oakland, 94607.

Online Resources
National CCHD programs
Poverty USA
Pobreza en los EE.UU
Educational Resources

Catholic Relief Services was founded in 1943 by the Catholic Bishops of the United States to respond to human needs overseers in the following ways:

Respond to victims of disaster
Provide assistance to the poor to alleviate their immediate needs
Support self-help programs that involve people in their own development
Collaborate with religious and non-sectarian groups of goodwill in programs and projects that contribute to a more equitable society
Help to educate the people of the United States it fulfill their moral responsibilities in alleviating human suffering, removing its causes and promoting social justice

The office works closely with the Diocesan Office of Social Justice to provide:

Local education on current issues of the developing world and CRS's response
Promotion of CRS programs such as Food Fast, Work of Human Hands and Operation Rice Bowl
Building global solidarity in the Diocese, through programs and projects
Availability for justice retreats focused on global issues
Resource to parishes on global issues

The CRS Local Office is located at Catholic Charities of the East Bay.

For more information, contact Marc McKimmey at 510-768-3105.

Board Resolution on Health Care in California
CCEB Healthcare Board Resolution
Press Release

Directed by our Faith, Catholic Charities lifts people out of poverty by promoting self-sufficiency, strengthening families, and supporting safe and just communities.

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