Overview: The nation's focus was on recovery efforts after Hurricanes Helene and Milton hit the mainland.
Economy: In the week ending October 5, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims was 258,000, an increase of 33,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 225,000. This is the highest level for initial claims since August 5, 2023, when it was 258,000. The 4-week moving average was 231,000, an increase of 6,750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 224,250.
Workforce data: CCUSA joined a large number of national charitable organizations in a letter to President Biden asking him to direct the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to provide quarterly wage and jobs data on nonprofit organizations, as BLS does for for-profit industries. Non-profits get the data every five years which limits their ability to benchmark outcomes against larger trends or help policymakers understand challenges so they can craft responsive policy.
Hurricane relief: CCUSA has launched a dedicated disaster relief donation campaign. CCUSA announced the fund Oct. 9, as the Category 3 Milton churned across the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida. CCUSA has already distributed more than $1.9 million to Catholic Charities agencies in states affected by Hurricane Helene. Donations to the CCUSA relief fund can be made at ccusa.online/milton; by texting MILTON to 20406; or by mailing checks to CCUSA at 2050 Ballenger Ave, Suite 400, Alexandria, Virginia, 22314. Information about additional ways to give can be obtained by contacting CCUSA at (800) 919-9338 or [email protected].
CCUSA's convenings on homelessness: Register today for our upcoming forum in Phoenix (October 24-25). Throughout 2024, CCUSA has been collaborating with local Catholic Charities agencies to host several regional convenings that better equip attendees to raise awareness around the crisis of homelessness in America. This series, Advocacy Forums: A Convening on Practical Solutions to Address Homelessness, provides a platform to discuss the state of homelessness in local communities, states and regions; share challenges, ideas, solutions and models of best practice for addressing homelessness; and federal-level advocacy training. The collective wisdom, best practices and innovative solutions developed at these convenings will help guide the creation of a new white paper and inform preparations for a national summit on homelessness prevention. Leaders and staff from Catholic Charities agencies, Catholic organizations, Catholic parishes, other faith communities and local collaborators are encouraged to attend. Presenters include CCUSA staff, Catholic Charities leaders, community leaders and local, state and federal agency staff. Registration for the events is free, and a limited number of stipends for travel costs are available for Catholic Charities agency staff members. Attendees also can receive up to 5.5 social work continuing education credits through their participation.