Catholic Charities, Top 2-1-1 Referral

Our 2-1-1 Intern Marla Weible shares with us why Catholic Charities is one of the most referred agencies in Northampton County.  
 
Catholic Charities is a private nonprofit social service agency operating with the support of the Diocese of Allentown. Services are offered to meet the needs of people in Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton and Schuylkill County. These services include adoption, pregnancy, immigration, senior services, adult day care, counseling, community support, parish outreach, ecumenical kitchen, housing, veterans, and Gatekeepers. 

According to the Lehigh County 2-1-1 2015 third quarter report, Catholic Charities is one of the most referred-to agencies in Northampton County by 2-1-1. This is not surprising considering the large area they work in and the many services they provide. 2-1-1, supported by United Way, is a free and confidential service that helps people across North America find the local resources they need, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Simply by dialing 2-1-1, you will be connected to a trained call center operator in your area. The call center operator will ask relevant questions based on the individual’s needs in order to connect that person with the services in their local area. 

Since Catholic Charities is among the top referred-to agencies in the area by 2-1-1 and is funded by United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, a tour of Catholic Charities was in order to learn more about the services they provide and the how they provide those services. One of their most popular services is the housing assistance program.  

For an individual or family to qualify for housing assistance, something outside of their control has to have impacted their ability to provide adequate housing for themselves.  Each situation is different but some examples include job loss, lay-off, or illness preventing a person from working, etc. In addition, the individual or adults in the family must have some income, the promise of income, or be actively searching for employment. The individual or family must have documentation of their housing situation (eviction or intent to evict) and proof of a job or job search in order to be eligible for housing assistance.  The individual or parents go directly to Catholic Charities Administration Building which houses client case management services. At the initial intake they are required to bring the necessary documentation and meet with their case manager in person.

 At that meeting the case manager and the client sit down together, look at the documentation, complete privacy forms, create a budget including a payment plan, review other community resources they could use both inside and outside of Catholic Charities, and complete a self-sufficiency assessment. The client leaves the meeting with the knowledge and the help they need.  However, the relationship is not over. The case manager writes the individual or family's landlord a letter detailing when to expect payment and how they will receive said payment. The client and case manager remain in contact. After a few months the case manager sends a letter to both the client and the landlord to ask if the client is following the payment plan. This is a way for Catholic Charities to measure the outcomes of the services they provide. 

2-1-1 eliminates the need for an individual to “call around” for services. By calling 2-1-1 an individual seeking help is connected to local resources that meet their needs and are eligible for. Whether that be one of Catholic Charities many programs or services or an entirely different agency, the individual receives the help they need.