Agencies affiliated with Catholic Charities USA, the nation’s largest network of private social service organizations, served 10.6 million people in 1997. More than 6.8 million people came to local Catholic Charities agencies for emergency services, and 3.7 million people received social services.

  This report provides detailed information on the types of social services and emergency services provided, the number and characteristics of clients served, social policy and community organizing programs, parish social ministry activities, staffing of local agencies, and financial resources and expenditures in 1997. The findings are based on the Catholic Charities USA 1997 Annual Survey, which has been fielded for 26 consecutive years. A total of 1,406 agencies in 160 of the 165 main diocesan agencies affiliated with Catholic Charities USA provided information on the activities of agencies in their service areas in 1997, a response rate of 97 percent.

  The statistics in this report are national-level estimates. The aggregate numbers mask the uniqueness of the independent and locally governed agency and the variety of approaches taken to meet the needs in respective communities. A closer look at the diverse types of programs offered, the range of clients reached, and differences in financial resources is provided in an accompanying report entitled Catholic Charities USA 1997 State Profiles (FLYNN RESEARCH December 1998).

Social Services

  An estimated 3,782,476 million people participated in social service programs in 1997. More than 1 million were children and youth under age 18 (28 percent), 2 million were adults (56 percent), and 622,000 (16 percent) were elderly persons over age 64.

  Clients were from various ethnic and racial groups. An estimated 43 percent were white, 24 percent black or African American, 23 percent Hispanic, 4 percent Asian or Pacific Islander, 1 percent Native American, and 5 percent of mixed or other races.

  In 1997, an estimated 40 percent of social service clients were on public welfare sometime during the year, and two-thirds were living in families with incomes below the federal poverty line.

  Social service clients participated in several types of programs sponsored or managed by local Catholic Charities agencies. Approximately 26 percent of clients received social support services such as child and adult day care; respite care; homemaker, legal, and employment services; phone reassurance and friendly visits; independent living programs; case management; and information and referral services (994,905 clients).

  Another 18 percent of social service clients participated in educational and family support programs such as family life education, marriage preparation, Head Start, special education, values clarification, parenting education, drug and alcohol education, literacy education, and dispute mediation (676,623 clients).

  Counseling services reached 18 percent of clients (673,301). Socialization and neighborhood services reached 17 percent of clients, who participated programs such as Catholic youth organizations, neighborhood centers, summer camps, sports programs, Scouts, Big Sisters/Big Brothers, and senior centers (633,318).

  Refugee resettlement and immigration programs served 9 percent of social service clients (333,776). Health-related care assisted 4 percent of clients (150,878). Permanent housing was provided for 93,329 clients. Pregnancy assistance reached 90,255 people.

  Out-of-home care such as foster care, group homes, and other residential care facilities served 89,197 people of all ages. Lastly, adoption services reached 46,894 members of the adoption triad: birth parents, children, and adopting parents.

  Local agencies offered other special social service programs, including HIV and AIDS services for 22,695 people; Head Start programs for 7,560 children; employment services for a record 85,913 people; and addiction programs for a record 57,859 people suffering from alcohol, drug, tobacco, food, sex, and other addictions.

Emergency Services

  Emergency services provided assistance to 6,845,653 people out of the total 10.6 million clients served in 1997. Approximately 61 percent of emergency service clients sought food, 6 percent needed temporary shelter, and 33 percent received other crisis services.

  Food services reached 4,212,835 people of whom 26 percent were children, 61 percent were adults, and 13 percent were elderly people. Catholic Charities sponsored 183 soup kitchens, which served approximately 1.3 million clients. Food banks provided groceries to 2.4 million people, including 785,000 unaccompanied minors. Other food distribution programs such as SHARE, group buying programs, and Meals on Wheels reached 546,468 people.

  A second form of emergency assistance offered through Catholic Charities agencies was temporary shelter, which reached 398,866 people in 1997. Agencies managed 250 shelters with 7,171 available beds that served 335,238 people. An additional 63,628 people received other forms of shelter assistance, including vouchers for hotels or motels, rental assistance, and referrals to other local shelters. A record 2.8 million nights of shelter were provided by Catholic Charities agencies in 1997.

  An additional 2,233,952 people received other forms of assistance during times of crisis. Services provided included referrals (590,885 clients), clothing assistance (528,484), case management (451,182), financial assistance (344,788), utilities assistance (143,469), medication (50,957), and services for physically or sexually abused persons (19,023). Disaster relief helped an additional 15,755 people who needed assistance after floods, fires, hurricanes, and tornados.

  Of the 6.8 million people participating in emergency programs in 1997, 24 percent were children, 65 percent were adults, and 11 percent were elderly persons. Clients identified their primary ethnicity or race as follows: 42 percent white, 35 percent black or African American, 16 percent Hispanic, 2 percent Native American, 1 percent Aleut or Pacific Islander, and 4 percent mixed or other categories.

  An estimated 41 percent of emergency service clients received public assistance sometime during the past year, and 84 percent lived in families with incomes below the federal poverty line (estimated at $16,404 for a family of four in 1997).

New, Discontinued, and Desired Services

  A full 69 percent of respondents indicated that their agencies developed 365 new services or programs in the past year. Some 34 percent of respondents reported dropping or discontinuing services in 1997, primarily in the areas of counseling, refugee services, housing, and education. The loss of financial support accounted for the closing of 57 percent of the programs.

  More than two-thirds of respondents maintained waiting lists for services (other than adoptions). The two greatest unmet needs in 1997 were counseling and housing.

Social Policy and Community Organization

  In 1997, 89 percent of respondents were involved in social policy and legislative action. At the national, state, and local levels, the key issues of concern were income security and welfare reform. The most often cited form of involvement was participation in coalitions with other social service agencies for the purpose of influencing social policy.

  Another important aspect of the work of Catholic Charities is community organizing. Agency staff and volunteers teach and continually learn the skills of bringing people together as leaders to strengthen their communities. In 1997, the primary issue addressed through community organizing was substance abuse, followed by abortion, income security, welfare reform, Social Security, hunger and nutrition, housing, family life, and education.

  The total number of community programs sponsored by local agencies in 1997 was 1,617. Almost half were neighborhood or parish organizations, 13 percent were cooperative organizations, and another 13 percent were housing corporations.

Parish Social Ministry

  Vision 2000 "calls Catholic Charities agencies to become more fully integrated into local parish communities, providing stimulus and leadership in nurturing faith, proclaiming justice, serving people, and building community." Toward this end, Catholic Charities agencies engaged in parish social ministry activities in 4,372 parishes in 1997.

  A total of 387 staff members were dedicated to parish social ministry programs, 57 as directors and 330 as staff members. The primary social ministry activity was direct service to clients in the community (94 percent of parishes), followed by advocacy (55 percent), legislative advocacy (51 percent), and social justice education (50 percent).

Staffing

  The foundation of the work of Catholic Charities agencies across the country is the devotion of volunteers, paid employees, and board members who perform a host of roles and functions. In 1997, 310,154 people worked with Catholic Charities. Approximately 85 percent served as volunteers (252,984) and board members (9,638) and 15 percent as paid employees (47,532).

Income and Expenditures

  Local Catholic Charities agencies received more than $2.27 billion in cash and in-kind funding in 1997 to perform the activities identified above. Ninety-eight percent of cash income was spent in the same year, mostly for direct program expenditures.

  Catholic Charities agencies received cash income totaling $2.2 billion from the following sources: government agencies ($1.45 billion); program service fees paid by users ($251 million); community support from individuals, corporations, and foundations ($177 million); the Church ($112 million); United Way and Combined Federal Campaign ($81 million); investments ($62 million); pass-through income mostly for disaster relief ($18 million); and business income ($14 million).

  An additional $55 million from in-kind contributions was received in the form of unpaid salaries (for volunteers and clergy), space, and equipment for programs.

  More than $2.1 billion of cash income was expended in 1997. The primary expenditure was salaries and benefits of paid staff members ($1.37 billion), followed by direct program expenditures ($389 million), occupancy and overhead ($177 million), emergency cash assistance ($79 million), pass-through income ($27 million), and fundraising ($22 million). Total program expenses of personnel, direct program costs, emergency cash assistance, and pass-through income represented 86 percent of total cash income in 1997.