Our own Will Rice, Director of Catholic Community Services/Catholic Housing Services of Whatcom County spoke.
Catholic Community Services of Western Washington stretches from Bellingham to Vancouver WA, to also include parts of Portland OR. CCS is the 5th largest Catholic Charity in the country.
CCS has been providing long term care services in every county in Western Washington for over 90 years. In addition to long term care services, CCS also provides Addiction Treatment and Recovery Services, Family Center/Services, Family Preservation, Housing, and Volunteer Chore Services.
CCS was established in Whatcom County in 1939. The combined budget for CCS in Western WA is $144,449,878 while employing 3274 employees, utilizing over 19,500 volunteers in serving over 108,000 clients annually.
Locally, CCS provides assistance and support to the neighbors in need through many of the following programs:
Shelters and Homeless Services: Hope House is a collaborative effort between CCS and Assumption Catholic Parish & St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Permanent housing is also offered for income-eligible individuals and families at three properties in Bellingham: Mt. Baker Apartments, Washington Grocery Building, and Kateri Court Apartments.
Family and Youth Services include the CCS Northwest Recovery Center, Community Mental Health Services, Children’s Wraparound Services, Parent Education and Support Services, and Supervised Visitation when the court has ordered third-party monitoring for safety reasons.
Seniors and People with disabilities; Homecare training for caregivers is provided in multiple languages while Project Rachel provides healing and support for folks who have experienced abortion.
Will shared the CCS Belief Statement:
- We believe the elderly should be able to live in security and dignity.
- We believe in compassion, love and respect for all people, especially those who are poor and vulnerable.
- We believe in every person having the right to a safe, affordable place to call home.
- We believe in every child growing up in a safe, loving, and nurturing environment.
- We believe in healthy family life being affirmed and supported in our communities.
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