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| A Quarterly Newsletter from Catholic Charities - February 2004 |
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Youth Find Safe Haven at Catholic Charities |
Angel’s Flight is a Catholic Charities’ group home in Los Angeles that provides emergency shelter and programs to runaway and homeless youth, from 10 to18 years of age. Recently, the program also began providing services to unaccompanied alien children. Each year, more than 5,000 foreign-born children and youth are discovered in the United States, unaccompanied by a parent or guardian. Many of these children are victims of neglect, abuse or abandonment, and others flee their countries seeking asylum from persecution. These youth are often subjected to forced labor and even worse situations. With financial support from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office of Refugee Resettlement, Angel’s Flight will be able to meet the unique needs of unaccompanied alien children in Los Angeles through services such as health/mental health care, English language training, socialization skills/adjustment training, ethnic/religious preservation, education/training, and residential care. Since 1982, Angel’s Flight has strived to provide youth with the tools necessary to make thoughtful decisions and become constructive members of society. The shelter’s mission is to protect and advocate for homeless and runaway youth. The ultimate goal of the program is to reunite families, if it is in the best interest of the child. Shelter Partnership estimates the number of runaway and homeless youth in Los Angeles at 12,000. Unfortunately, the number of beds available in Los Angeles for these young boys and girls is a mere 490. These figures reflect the urgent need for Angel’s Flight’s services. Without the Angel’s Flight program, many youth would continue to live in unsafe and harmful conditions. Angel’s Flight is located at 357 South Westlake Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90057. Telephone: (213) 413-2311. For more information, please visit the Website at: www.CatholicCharitiesLA.org. |
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Catholic Charities Alleviates Hunger in Ventura County
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The two new pantries are an extension of the Ventura Community Center. Staffed primarily by community volunteers from Saticoy, Cabrillo Village and Ventura, USDA surplus food is distributed once a month at each site to an average of 90 families. These clients are primarily low-income farm and service industry laborers. The food pantries provide clients with the ability to stretch their tight budgets further and to help meet basic food needs in times of crisis. Recently, the Saticoy community was detrimentally impacted with the loss of 200 jobs when a lemon packing plant was closed. Losses such as these can often devastate low-income residents, but services like Catholic Charities’ food pantries provide a critical resource in helping to meet basic necessities. A community needs assessment, prepared by the Saticoy Community Council and Cabrillo Village Housing Cooperative, found that meeting basic food needs was a high priority. Consequently, plans are being created to secure funds to expand pantry distribution days to two times per month. With USDA food allotments at their limit, it is estimated it will cost Catholic Charities approximately $400 per month to add a second pantry day each month. If you would like to donate to the Ventura Region food pantries, please contact Robert Bagdazian, LCSW, Ventura Regional Director, at (805) 643-4784. During 2003, the Ventura Region food pantries distributed enough food to feed 47,000 unduplicated clients. Catholic Charities’ Ventura Region’s main office is located at 303 North Ventura Ave, Suite A, Ventura, CA 93001. Telephone: (805) 643-4784. For more information, please visit the Website at: www.CatholicCharitiesLA.org. |
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