Catholic Charities of Los Angeles, Inc.

2000-2001 Annual Report

Introduction

Catholic Charities of Los Angeles looks for ways to serve the community.

Since 1919, the year Archbishop John J. Cantwell established The Welfare Bureau of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, there has been a caring organization ready to respond to the problems of poverty, homelessness, hunger and unemployment in Southern California. As the years progressed and the agency name changed to the Catholic Welfare Bureau (1926) and finally to Catholic Charities of Los Angeles, Inc. (1986), the agency has continued to initiate new services and programs to meet the needs of individuals and families. The Mission of Catholic Charities of Los Angeles is to offer a broad range of services to assist clients overcome obstacles and achieve self-sufficiency, without regard to their race, ethnicity, income, gender or religious belief.

Jamie Besso of the Resource Development Department is the Webmaster.

As the result of a continual interest in improving service delivery, the development of a Catholic Charities’ Web Site came to the forefront as a new means to reach a wide range of people. It was determined that families, individuals, parishes, other providers of social services, donors, foundations, corporations, federal, county and city governmental agencies could benefit from a clearing house of information about the organizational structure, Mission, programs and services of Catholic Charities of Los Angeles. The Web Site was also envisioned as a place to report on events such as disasters in order to provide the public with a means to help; to educate people about community needs; to provide information about new programs and services; and to be a resource for news and commentary regarding social issues. Once the commitment was made to create a Web Site, the mandate became to make it clear, concise and easy to use. Catholic Charities is pleased to announce the completion of its Web Site at www.CatholicCharitiesLA.org.

The Web Site is divided into six sections. About Us offers a brief history of the organization and the Mission of Catholic Charities. Programs and Services (in both English and Spanish) directs site visitors to a list of programs and services by type. How You Can Help provides information regarding giving opportunities and special events. Current employment listings are shown in the Human Resources section. The News presents articles, press releases, the newsletter, and the Annual Report. The Regions section lists programs and services within the geographical area of each Region of Catholic Charities.

Catholic Charities’ new Web Site focuses on a wide variety of programs and services. In Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, twenty-eight community centers offer case management, emergency food, clothing, after school care, and immigration and refugee services. In addition, five shelters for the homeless, including shelters for runaway youth, women and mothers with children, are in operation. Youth programs consist of a residential treatment facility for delinquent boys, job training programs and organized sports activities. The agency helped over 234,000 people last year.

This Annual Report highlights Catholic Charities’ work in fiscal year 2000-2001. The agency’s commitment to look for ways to serve the changing needs of the community remains constant.

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