2019 Community Impact Report Changing Lives by Meeting Today’s Needs Our Core Values Allow God’s love and teachings Faithto inspire our work. Seek to meet individual and family needs Servicethrough professional practice and advocacy. Encourage others to put Charityfaith into action through sharing their time, talent and treasure. Our Catholic Mission Social Services of the ChangingInside Lives by Meeting Today’s Needs 4 Miami Valley strengthens individuals Long-Term Tornado Recovery 6 and families through actions of faith, Pregnancy & Parenting Support 8 service and charity. Senior Services 10 Professional Counseling 12 2019 Annual Giving 14 Our Vision Mobility Management 28 Creating faithful partnerships to strengthen families and achieve a Poverty Alleviation 30 more hopeful community. Supervised Visitation 32 Refugee Resettlement 34 Financial Summary 36 From the Board Chair 38 OurAuglaize ServiceCounty, Champaign County, Area Darke County, Greene County, From Archbishop Schnurr 39 Logan County, Mercer County, Miami County, Montgomery County, Life Essentials Merges with CSS 40 Preble County, Shelby County 2 Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 One of our great blessings at Catholic Social Services is the timelessness of our mission. Throughout our 99-year history we have seen our services evolve to meet the needs of the time. In 2019, we experienced the bittersweet feeling of knowing that our community had changed to such a great extent that one of our programs was no longer needed. Dayton is now blessed with high quality preschools for all children, in all areas of our community. As a result, we closed Lincoln Academy, the preschool program that had been part of our organization for 40 years. Our intent was to direct those resources to community needs that remained unmet. Who could have predicted a new challenge would happen so abruptly, with such force, and impact so many people? The tornadoes of Memorial Day weekend brought upheaval and suffering that literally happened overnight. The unexpected devastation of our community was met by an even greater response of outreach, generosity, friendship, and genuine caring. Immediate physical needs of food and shelter were quickly met, but it became apparent that long-term recovery for many families would take years. When Catholic Social Services was approached to lead the long-term recovery case management team for our community, we did not hesitate. The confidence in our staff and the Gospel call to serve inspired our response. Since saying yes, Catholic Social Services has built a team of dedicated case managers and developed a system to assist survivors with everything from furniture and first-month deposits for new apartments to repair and rebuilding for homeowners. We have aided hundreds of households with emergency financial assistance and partnered with other organizations to provide trauma informed care for staff, volunteers, and those personally impacted. From Montgomery County north to Celina in Mercer County, the collaboration and generosity have been truly remarkable. It has been an honor to walk alongside so many survivors as they work to put the pieces of their lives back together and plan for the future. Also in 2019, we saw growth and change in our organizational response to infant mortality, especially surrounding the racial disparities in birth outcomes for our African American infants; increased emphasis on programs that result in living wage jobs for those we serve; and additional resources to support school-based counseling, parenting and transportation services in our northern regions. As we began 2020, a new threat to our lives — the coronavirus pandemic — altered the delivery of our services and again reinforced our commitment to help our neighbors in need. Our food pantry became a lifeline for many families as they conserved resources and spent many weeks sheltered at home. As community needs continue to increase and change, our services must reflect our sincere commitment to be responsive, no matter what the challenge. Faithful stewardship requires the willingness to be nimble, the resolve to make hard decisions, and the insight to focus our energies and resources where they are most needed. Contributing to the greater good requires confidence as well as humility, boldness as well as patience, expertise as well as a culture of learning, and always the grace of God. We invite you to join us. Warm regards, Laura Roesch, Chief Executive Officer Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley 2019 Community Impact Report 3 Changing Lives by Meeting Today’s Needs As Catholic Social Services of the Toward the end of the year, CSSMV welcomed the unexpected opportunity to execute a Miami Valley (CSSMV) marks its 99th merger with Life Essentials, a small but well- year of service, the community has come established Dayton nonprofit that would to expect certain things from the agency, immediately enhance and expand CSSMV’s including professionalism, dedication, services and resources for a particularly compassion, and stability. But CSSMV has not vulnerable population of seniors in allowed longevity to encourage complacency. Montgomery and Greene Counties. An eye on the changing needs of the community, an openness to introspection, And while taking on new challenges is always and a commitment to problem-solving are exciting, CSSMV also continuously evaluates key to the agency’s ability to provide help existing programs to determine whether and hope where they are needed most. they are still needed in the community. Last year saw the bittersweet ending of a beloved CSSMV’s strategic planning processes never agency program, as Lincoln Academy closed anticipated the Memorial Day tornadoes of its doors after 40 years of providing high- 2019. But by that summer, the agency had quality daycare and early learning services. stepped into the leadership role in long- With the emergence of dozens of early term recovery case management. By the learning centers in Dayton, it was time for end of the year, a new team was in place to CSSMV’s resources to be directed to other, provide one-on-one assistance to hundreds unmet community needs. of impacted households. In recent years, CSSMV has had great success With a vision of “Creating faithful in “finding the niche and filling it,” whether partnerships to strengthen families and the need is on a large scale — like the achieve a more hopeful community,” Catholic development of transportation plans for Social Services recognizes the need to entire counties — or on a much smaller scale, always be vigilant in identifying emerging like placing professional counselors in rural community needs as well as recognizing schools to meet a need that’s beyond the when some needs begin to wane. Sometimes scope of the traditional school counselor. the need arises for an entirely new program or service, while at other times an existing In each case, Catholic Social Services looks program can be adapted to evolving needs. for creative, collaborative ways to positively impact individuals, families, and the overall community. 4 Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley Catholic Social Services looks for creative, collaborative ways to positively impact individuals, families, and the overall community. 2019 Community Impact Report 5 Long-Term Tornado Recovery On Memorial Day 2019, the Miami Like many others in ??? Valley suffered devastating tornadoes the community, Jamie that besieged the region, flattening and Tim Hall and houses, uprooting trees, and destroying their children are still neighborhoods. Surprisingly, there was little recovering from the loss of life, but the lingering effects of trauma impact of the Memorial have impacted countless families, many of Day tornadoes. whom were displaced from their homes and lost everything. In the aftermath of the natural disaster, CSSMV received a spontaneous outpouring of financial support to help neighbors in need. The immediate focus was on providing emergency food, clothing vouchers, and housing-related expenses, but it soon became obvious that total recovery would involve long-term case management. with national and regional partners like Housing has been the biggest challenge It is estimated that more than 850 Catholic Charities USA to develop the as many rental units were leveled or are households will need help over the next two program. uninhabitable. “The timing of the event was years or more. CSSMV’s expertise in case “When I came in September, most advantageous,” said Perry, “in that UD was out management and wrap-around services makes tornado survivors were beginning to transition for the summer and they were able to use the agency an ideal partner for recovery from emergency to recovery,” said Michael their apartments for emergency housing while efforts. With support from the Archdiocese Perry, Long Term Recovery Program Manager. people cleaned up, assessed damage, and of Cincinnati and many generous donors, a “Our case managers have had to have both looked for options.” program manager and several case managers a head and a heart in dealing with impacted Perry cited the Federal Home Loan Bank were brought on board, through collaboration families.” of Cincinnati and four community partners with the United Methodist Committee on Perry described a single mom with five that have come together to meet housing Relief (UMCOR), American Red Cross, and children who had just moved into a new needs: Rebuilding Dayton, Community Action Salvation Army. CSSMV was able to consult apartment when the tornado hit. The landlord Partnership, County Corp, and Habitat for made repairs but raised the rent significantly. Humanity. “We were able to get her out of her lease, “Our work has touched hundreds of found her a new place, and supplied gift cards impacted households,” said Perry, “and we Catholic Social Services’ director of finance and administration was one of several agency for food, clothing, and Christmas gifts for the will serve hundreds more over the next staff members whose homes were damaged or children,” said Perry.