Annual Report

Fiscal Year 2023-2024

MESSAGE FROM THE CEO

Dear Friends,

As I wind down my career at Catholic Charities, I simply want to express my gratitude for all the amazing people I have been blessed to encounter over the past nineteen years here at Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County and Charities Housing, and in the Catholic Charities USA network for the past 35 years.

First, thank you for our staff and volunteers – for your compassion, competency, creativity, kindness, humor, friendship, and dedication to our mission. You are the hands and feet of Christ, the ones who truly make a difference in the lives of tens of thousands of our neighbors in need, whether behind the scenes or in the streets.

Thank you to Bishop Cantú, and the Catholic Charities and Charities Housing board members and advisors, for your leadership, wise counsel, and support, as you challenge and encourage us to be strategically focused, fiscally secure, and creatively responsive to emerging community needs.

Thank you to our partners—schools, community-based organization allies, public sector agencies, parishes, and coalitions—for your collaborative spirit as we serve and advocate alongside each other to build a just and compassionate community.

Thank you to our donors and funders, for faithful unfailing generosity, for your trust in our agency and the good work of Catholic Charities, and for your partnership in finding solutions to poverty and injustice.

Thank you to our incoming CEO Don Taylor for saying “Yes” to leading this amazing organization. Your commitment to our mission and values, and your years of leadership experience, inspire confidence and hope for Catholic Charities’ continued success.

Finally, and most importantly, thank you to the individuals and the families in the communities we are privileged to serve. You are the face of Christ. Your courage, your resilience, and your trust in us as we walk alongside you on your journey of hope is truly inspiring.

I would be remiss, if I didn’t use this last opportunity to encourage you all to continue to support one another, especially those who need our help the most. Continue to be generous by investing through Catholic Charities in the lives of our neighbors in need, so that through you, Catholic Charities will continue to change lives for good.

All the best,

Gregory Kepferle, CEO

OUR IMPACT IN OUR COMMUNITIES

(July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024)

We served our highest number of people ever in the agency’s history:

119,084 individuals of all ages and backgrounds received help through our anti-poverty initiatives and services.

FOOD
Food and meals through parish distribution sites and home delivery increased 55% from 15,000 (in FY23) to 22,865 (in FY24).

HOUSING

Charities Housing’s Blossom Valley Senior Apartments held its Grand Opening for a state-of-the art facility with 147 new apartments for low-income seniors and a planned multiservice hub on the ground floor to provide critical services for neighborhood children and families.

HEALTH

Through our Behavioral Health Clinical Services and Wellness, 98.8% of adults maintained or improved higher engagement and recovery levels, and lower levels of mental health risk.

EDUCATION

Students enrolled in our CORAL Extended Learning Afterschool Program experienced reading improvements 20% higher than their peers and math improvement 50% higher than their peers.

91% of teens and young adults in our Refugee Foster Care are currently enrolled in school or have graduated from high school.

ECONOMIC MOBILITY

Assisted enrolling 1,740 low-income individuals in public benefits for basic needs like health care, housing, employment, food, or cash (CalWorks, CalFresh and Medi-Cal).

Generated $1,092,686 of tax savings or income tax refunds to the 839 low-income families served through our free and volunteer-staffed Tax EZ program.

Supported 701 adults – many of whom are formerly incarcerated or referred by mental health providers –through our Employment Network with job coaching, interviewing skills, job placements, and receiving work-appropriate clothing.

“Footsteps: Pathways to Self-Sufficiency” initiative reached significant milestones. Launched in 2021 in Gilroy as part of our long-range plan, this ongoing and expanding initiative provides even greater resources to address the multi-faceted aspects of achieving economic mobility for many of our county’s families and children.
We reached a milestone of quadruple the number of individuals served in Gilroy.

855 families accessed more than one of our services – a key metric under Footsteps as we place a greater emphasis on a holistic approach to addressing the multiple needs of families.

Meals served at Eastside Neighborhood Center.

Building community: 
our clients, volunteers and donors

“I feel like a person again.”

David moved into his own apartment at our new Blossom Hill Senior Apartments after years of living in his car.

“We are promotoras, we are friends and we are a very strong group! I hope many more people will participate because this way they will learn about their rights and that they have a voice.”

Volunteer promotora Maricruz Acuna, a wife and mom of four children who has lived in Gilroy for 14 years.A key component of successfully connecting Gilroy residents to the resources they need are highly trained volunteers from within the community called “promotoras.” This dedicated group of women works alongside Catholic Charities staff to help families determine their goals and then connect them with the appropriate resources.

“Catholic Charities is disrupting poverty in Silicon Valley, creating pathways to hope and opportunity for many. I love to learn about the transformative programs that Catholic Charities works on – day in and day out – in our community. I especially love the programs that aid families and children.”

Laura Garcia is a Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County Board Member and Development Committee Member. An Emmy-award winning journalist, community volunteer and mom of three, Laura joined the CCSCC Board of Directors in 2023. She co- anchors weekday mornings, “Today in the Bay” and NBC Bay Area’s midday show.

Read Laura’s reflection on why she volunteers for CCSCC

“For us, the broad vision Catholic Charities takes is what needs to be provided to have a healthy, thriving community for everyone. If you think of the ‘beloved community,’ such as envisioned by Martin Luther King Jr., it is supporting comprehensiveness of services to the poor that will make the biggest difference.”

Ann Clarke, who with her husband Sheffield, are supporters of Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County through their Donor Advised Fund.

OUR MISSION
Changing Lives for Good - One Family at A Time

Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County serves and advocates for individuals and families in need, especially those living in poverty. Rooted in gospel values, we work to create a more just and compassionate community in which people of all cultures and beliefs can participate and prosper.