Catholic Charities USA Hosts Centennial Year Poverty Reduction Summit in Nashville

Conference Engages Community, Recognizes Effective Programs

NASHVILLE, Tenn., March 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Catholic Charities USA, the 170-member national human services organization committed to cutting poverty in half by 2020 – joined by Catholic Charities of Tennessee, Inc. – convened one of 10 Centennial Summits today at the Curb Event Center at Belmont University in Nashville as part of the organization's 100-year history.  The event brought together civic leaders, elected officials and all interested parties to address the devastation of poverty in the country.

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Among the speakers during the day-long summit were Father Larry Snyder, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA; Karl Dean, Mayor of Nashville; John Seigenthaler, Sr., journalist, publisher, civil rights activist; Joanne Pulles, president, The HCA Foundation; Patrick Nolan, senior vice president, DVL Public Relations & Advertising; Candy Hill, senior vice president for social policy and government affairs at Catholic Charities USA; Dr. Dan Cornfield, professor of sociology, Vanderbilt University; Howard Gentry, CEO, Nashville Chamber Public Benefit Foundation; Renata Soto, president and founder, Conexion Americas; Patrick Willard, advocacy director, AARP Tennessee; and Patricia Hvidston, senior vice president for development and communications, Catholic Charities USA.

"In a country like ours, even in these tough times, it is simply unacceptable that close to 40 million people live in poverty," said Rev. Snyder.  "Catholic Charities agencies and Catholic Charities USA seek a sustained national commitment that will ensure a reduction in poverty.  Together, we can lift each other up.  Only collectively can we begin to change the face of poverty."

The summit also included an awards presentation honoring three Catholic Charities programs that are effectively working to reduce poverty in their communities. The innovative programs were recognized for best practices in Catholic Charities USA's poverty issue areas: health, housing, hunger, economic security, education/job training.  Each agency received a $25,000 award to invest in further development of their program.

• Elizabeth's Home – Catholic Charities of East Tennessee: Through Elizabeth's Homes, homeless families are able to obtain housing self-sufficiency, increase skills and/or income, and achieve greater self determination. The program empowers the family to acquire new skills, resources, greater income, and a path out of homelessness. During the two year program, supportive relationships are fostered among the clients who are housed in scattered sites. Three case workers are responsible for 26 families in three geographic areas within Eastern Tennessee, the majority of which serve rural communities. This program is built to reduce poverty one family at a time through a case management and housing process that makes use of wrap-around services in order to foster client self-determination. Case management promotes career enhancement and job placement, and the educational process includes everything from basic homemaker skills to household budgeting.  
• Provide Help Create Hope – Catholic Charities Louisville: This program helps local parishes respond more effectively and efficiently to those in need, whether situational or chronic, and provides case management and other assistance directly to families and individuals, helping them re-establish stability and hope. While not neglecting those who have been in chronic need, a particular focus of the project is with those newly affected by current economic condition, people in "situational" and not "chronic" crisis. Provide Help Create Hope serves as a lead partner with the Archdiocese and its parishes, and other community resources, to bring the existing foundation and resources of Catholic Charities to shape and lead an effective response and reduce the instances of future crises.
• Adoption Support and Preservation Program – Catholic Charities of Tennessee, Inc.: The Adoption Support and Preservation Program provides in-home therapeutic services, support groups, parent training, and community advocacy to families who have adopted children from the State of Tennessee's foster care system. The therapy is designed to improve family relationships and resolution of past trauma and losses that may impede the child's ability to function successfully. Research continues to show the statistical correlation between foster care and poverty. Children aging out of the foster care system are among the most vulnerable population in the nation. As the children in the adoptive families served by the Adoption Support and Preservation Program have more stable adolescence, they enter adulthood more prepared for independence.

The Nashville summit is part of a nationwide series that will culminate in Washington, DC, on September, 26, 2010.  The summits provide a forum for thought-leaders, major influencers and citizens-at-large to come together and act on poverty.  

Catholic Charities USA's members – more than 1,700 local Catholic Charities agencies and institutions nationwide – provide help and create hope for nearly 9 million people a year regardless of religious, social, or economic backgrounds.  For almost 300 years, Catholic Charities agencies have worked to reduce poverty by providing a myriad of vital services in their communities, ranging from health care and job training to food and housing.  In 2010, Catholic Charities USA celebrates its centennial anniversary.  For more information, visit www.CatholicCharitiesUSA.org.

SOURCE Catholic Charities USA