When I found your words, I devoured them;
they became my joy and the happiness of my heart,
Because I bore your name, O Lord, God of hosts. Jer 15:16

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Highlights from CCUSA

Sunday, November 29, marks the beginning of Advent. Once again, CCUSA will offer daily reflections on each day's Mass readings, authored by Catholic Charities employees and other social concerns ministers. The reflections will arrive by email first thing each morning. Sign up here to receive them.

Join your fellow Disaster practitioners and network experts for three days of education, networking, and fun as we bring together the Applied Institute for Disaster Excellence as a free virtual lite training. Participating in AIDE Lite is one of the best ways to be in the "know" about disaster response and recovery best practices, particularly when coupled with responding to the pandemic and systemic racism that has led to widespread community unrest. Click here to register.

CCUSA AmeriCorps Programs - Open for Applications

CCUSA is accepting applications for three AmeriCorps programs: 1) New/Potential COVID-19 Response, 2) Existing Financial Education, and 3) Existing Nutrition Education Programs. To learn more about each of these programs and the requirements of AmeriCorps, we encourage you to watch the recorded webinar from November 4: video and slides. The deadline to submit all program applications is November 24, 2020 and the applications are available here. If you have any questions or need any assistance during the application process, please do not hesitate to contact our AmeriCorps Staff, Teiara Turner or Sarah Hendley.

2019 Member Agency Profiles: The 2019 Member Agency Profiles visualization is now live! Select a Diocese from the drop-down menu to review key information about each agency’s operations, programs, and services. Find the updated Member Agency Profiles here or through the CCUSA Members Portal under ‘Annual Survey Resources.’

2019 Agency Service Inventory: The 2019 Agency Service Inventory resource is now updated! This interactive visualization uses CCUSA 2019 Annual Survey data to identify agency activity across program areas. Select a service type and a corresponding service element to view all Catholic Charities agencies who reported providing that service in 2019. Access the updated Agency Service Inventory here or through the CCUSA Members Portal under ‘Annual Survey Resources.’

2019 Member Agency FTE Visualization: The updated 2019 Member Agency FTE visualization enables member agencies to compare their reported full time equivalent (FTE) staff count to the broader network and identify agencies of comparable size. Such comparisons may be useful for benchmarking, enhancing regional or national context, or in considering partnership opportunities among Catholic Charities agencies. Access this resource here or through the CCUSA Members Portal under ‘Annual Survey Resources.

CCUSA’s Research and Evaluation team wants your perspective on evaluation!

You are invited to join the Catholic Charities Subgroup on Learning, Analysis, Measurement, and Evaluation, a cohort of the Management & Administration section focused on building and enhancing organizational infrastructure and processes to ensure data-driven decision making. Input from periodic calls and other communications will drive thought leadership and resource development, as well as facilitate exchange across Catholic Charities agencies through different modules. Interested parties should contact Kerry Glova, Director of Research and Evaluation.

Events and Webinars

Food insecurity in the U.S.: Insights from Catholic Social Thought and Economics

Food insecurity has become a leading indicator of well-being in the U.S. due to the tens of millions of food insecure Americans and the accordant negative physical and mental health outcomes and higher health care costs. Its importance has become even more stark during COVID-19, as rates are predicted to rise by almost 50% in 2020 in comparison to 2019. Join Lumen Christi Institute for a discussion of food insecurity in the context of Catholic Social Thought with a panel comprised of a theologian and several economists. Free and open to the public. The event will be held online over Zoom and will be livestreamed on YouTube. This event is co-sponsored by America Media, the Catholic Research Economists Discussion Organization (CREDO), Catholic Charities USA, the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO). Date: Dec. 3, 2020. Time: 8 PM EST. Register here.

Introduction to creating impactful partnerships with your local health systems

Bringing together the credibility, strength, and expertise of local Catholic Charities agencies and local health systems makes for impactful partnerships positioned to address complex community needs. In this two-part webinar series, presenters will share information on how to begin a new, deepen an existing, and/or elevate long-standing collaborative relationships with your local hospital or health system. Speakers include: Paul Propson, CEO, Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan; Jay Brown, CEO, and Ashlee Giles, Guardianship Services Supervisor, Commonwealth Catholic Charities; Father Ragan Shriver and Ben Wortham with CCUSA. Date: Dec. 2, 2020. Time: 2 PM. Register here.

Using Integration Data to Build Stronger Communities for Long-Term Residents and Newcomers webinar

Date: Dec 08, 2020 at 2:00 PM EST. Join us in learning how Catholic Charities agencies across the country use Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC) created tools to collect this data and how the data has informed how they design their integration programs. Successful immigrant integration efforts help dismantle local unequal power dynamics. To accomplish this, a community must work together and address data-identified areas of inequity. This webinar will pinpoint the components of a successful integration initiative, detail how to collect important data that can enhance a currently operating integration program, and propose a plan of action for agencies interested in effectively engaging their community in integration efforts. Come learn how to garner buy-in from the agency's clients, staff, and community members. Additionally, presenters will focus on how to build an initiative designed to address the needs of the community. Register here.

Introduction to telepsychiatry services

During the COVID-19 crisis, telepsychiatry has emerged as a powerful tool for increasing access to care. In this vein, the federal government and states have swiftly implemented regulatory changes to meet urgent needs during this public health crisis. We know that the ongoing changes can be overwhelming and raise a lot of questions about what the future will look like after this "new normal." In a webinar co-hosted by Genoa Telepsychiatry and CCUSA, we will discuss the power of telehealth during COVID-19 and beyond. NOTE: This webinar offers 1.0 Continuing Education Credit. Date: Dec. 10, 2020. Time: 2 PM. For more details and to register, go here.

2020 elections, the results and moving forward - Possible highlights for 117th Congress

Join the Social Policy team at Catholic Charities USA as we review the results of the 2020 elections, how we move forward and possible highlights in the 117th Congress beginning in January 2021. Date: Dec. 16, 2020, at 2 PM EST. Register here.

Public Forum: CCUSA Poverty and Racism Paper

Date: February 18, 2021. Time: 2 PM EST. Register here.

Grant Opportunities and Resources

Grant Opportunity – CCUSA Financial Education AmeriCorps Program

CCUSA is currently looking for additional grantee(s) for the Financial Education AmeriCorps program to fulfill one full time slot or one half time slot or both a full time and half time slot! The AmeriCorps members in this program will use the FDIC Money Smart curriculum to educate clients of all ages on how to enhance their financial skills and create positive banking relationships. This program will help clients improve financial literacy and navigate financial decisions more efficiently. If your agency is interested in hosting an AmeriCorps member to serve in your community, please reach out to Teiara Turner at [email protected].

Finding homes for children, youth waiting in US foster care system

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is leading a national effort, championed by Assistant Secretary Lynn Johnson, to garner commitments and build strategic partnerships with the goal of finding loving, permanent homes for the nearly 122,000 children and youth who are currently waiting in the U.S. foster care system. ACF has developed a public engagement section of the ALL IN Foster Adoption Challenge website to ask the public to engage in the ALL IN Challenge by committing to an activity that supports children/youth or their caregivers and then sharing a picture or video of themselves with the ALL IN sign on their social media to let others know they have committed be ALL IN. ACF asks that people use the hashtag #ALLINforWaitingKids to show their support for the challenge as well as share the link to the public engagement page so that people can learn more. For more information, visit the ALL In Foster Adoption website.

Sterling Volunteers offering FREE basic background checks to Catholic Charities agencies

Sterling Volunteers, a valued Catholic Charities USA partner, is extending a helping hand to our network to help safely mobilize trusted volunteers around essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sterling Volunteers is offering FREE Basic Background Checks, along with reduced pricing for MVR’s and other screening packages (click here for full details). This COVID-19 special offering has been extended through December 31, 2020. If interested, CLICK HERE to connect with Sterling on this offering and any other specific needs. Please note, the special pricing is not retroactive nor automatic for existing customers; please contact SV if you are interested in utilizing the discounts.

Employment Opportunities

Catholic Charities job opportunities now listed on CCUSA website

Anyone can view the job opportunities by clicking on the "Careers" tag on the footer of the CCUSA webpage. To post a job opportunity, one must be a member and have access to the members' portal in order to fill out the submission form (click on "Careers" tag on members only portal homepage). If you have any questions about the new job opportunities submission form, please contact David Werning. Please click here to access job opportunities.

CCUSA Photo Gallery

Did you know that one of the benefits CCUSA provides to member agencies is access to a professional photo gallery? Visit our Flickr photo pages to explore our albums and photos. If you would like a high-resolution version for your agency's use, please email CCUSA with photo number.