Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada and the St. Vincent’s Programs has been serving the working class poor and the homeless population in our community since 1941. It was originally established as part of a statewide organization known as The Nevada Catholic Welfare Bureau. Today, CCNN is a Nevada-based, 501c(3) tax-exempt, non-profit corporation that provides food, shelter, clothing, job acquisition support, and other emergency assistance to thousands of people each year.
Catholic Charities operates nearly a dozen human service programs and is governed by a board of trustees, which includes local business and community leaders. The organization is staffed by 175 employees and more than 300 volunteers provide support for the food pantry, thrift stores, dining room and other programs.
The programs and services provided by Catholic Charities help those who are facing obstacles that are affecting their ability to acquire basic need resources, such as food and clothing. CCNN helps everyone in need and does not discriminate based on religion, economic status, race, gender, or any other factor. Their programs are meant to help people regain their self-sufficiency during their time of need.
The most basic need for most people living in poverty is food. The St. Vincent’s Food Pantry is the largest food pantry in Nevada, serving more than 12,000 people each month. It offers non-perishable, canned and packaged food products to individuals and families in need at no cost. The program is a USDA food commodity distributor, but food is also purchased and supplemented by food drives from local businesses and service groups. In the past year, St. Vincent’s Food Pantry has been able to extend its reach by distributing food and providing wraparound social services to 15 of Nevada’s 17 counties through partnerships with other pantries and organizations. Located across the street from the food pantry at CCNN’s main campus in downtown Reno is the St. Vincent’s Dining Room, which is the single most important program for severely under-nourished residents and families. The dining room serves a hot lunch, Monday through Saturday starting at 11:30 a.m. to an average of 550 people daily. This program is supported by food donations from local businesses and families, volunteer efforts and monetary gifts. CCNN provides daily assistance helping eligible clients sign up for SNAP benefits and recently entered a public-private partnership with Washoe County to provide home-delivered Meals on Wheels and congregate lunch service to local seniors.
In addition to food, Catholic Charities offers a wide variety of social services to homeless individuals and low-income families.
St. Vincent’s Resource Network provides one-on-one case management for people in need. Free services include: clothing, bus passes with a verified appointment, diapers, personal care items, work permits, and referrals to other helping agencies.
Catholic Charities also partners with other organizations in the community to reach people struggling with everything from substance abuse to health issues.
Crossroads is a partnership between Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada, Washoe County Social Services and the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office. The program started in 2011 and has served 600 people since its inception. It originally started as a housing program to provide supportive living arrangements for men and women transitioning out of homelessness. In addition to a safe and caring environment to live in, clients are now also provided with wrap-around social services, including; drug and alcohol counseling, employment support, volunteer/work opportunities, and other tools to help them establish a new, more productive path in life. Washoe County estimates that Crossroads is saving the community an average of $7 million a year.
Another important partnership with Washoe County Social Services and local law enforcement agencies is Kids to Seniors Korner. This program conducts outreach to low income neighborhoods, motels and housing complexes to provide wrap-around support and immunizations to those in need, including at-risk youth and seniors.
Catholic Charities also helps bring families together through its adoption program and immigration assistance. CCNN offers free assistance and counseling to birth parents who are considering adoption. They also offer services to prospective adoptive families who wish to grow their families through adoption. CCNN has been involved with more than 2,000 adoptive placements during its 75-year history. The non-profit also offers immigration services to help clients find and fund a legal pathway to citizenship.
Holy Child Early Learning Center is another way Catholic Charities helps families by offering quality, nurturing early education and childcare for ages 8 weeks to 6 years. Beginning in August 2016, Holy Child will roll out an Early Head Start program that will offer critical early learning and school readiness for 32 children from low-income families and employ nine extra staff.
As an organization, Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada offered 537,873 direct, caring human services to people throughout northern Nevada in 2015. It is a non-profit that continues to grow and expand its reach with the overall goal of helping ease the pain of poverty in our community.
