Catholic Charities Of The Diocese Of Winona-Rochester

Programs: Counseling: catholic charities counseling services helps people find hope and direction in their lives and overcome difficulties they experience. We are committed to promoting growth and change with a deep respect for each individual's and family's life experience. We promote physical, social, emotional, and spiritual health and well being to all. We believe that by helping those who come to us gain a more accurate understanding of themselves and the people in their lives they will be able to lead a more satisfying and productive life. Our counseling staff are professionally trained and licensed at the top level of licensure. Counseling services are provided at all of our service locations. We serve people of all ages, ethnic/cultural backgrounds, faith and non faith traditions, and economic backgrounds. Insurance is accepted and may cover the cost of the counseling services. A sliding fee scale based on household income and family size is available for individuals and families who do not have insurance coverage. 26% of our clients selected catholic charities for counseling because we are faith based. Ninety-two percent reported an overall satisfaction with the counseling services. During this reporting cycle, 2,170 people received counseling services. Counseling clients complete a client satisfaction survey self report. Here are some quotes from our counseling clients about the counseling services: "when i came, i was in a difficult place in life. After talking and setting goals and standards for me things have gotten a lot better with day to day living. ""my counselor is very knowledgeable and helpful. She has shown me many ways i can cope. ""counseling helped steer us in the right direction and bring us closer together as a couple and a family. ""my counselor has been a great help to me. I'm really grateful for her care and concern. " "i love to visit here and have a conversation with my counselor. The counseling makes me feel comfortable and helps with solving my problem. " "it saved my life! ! ! " project rachel : the project rachel post abortion counseling ministry takes its name from jeremiah 31:15-17, "thus says the lord: in ramah is heard the sound of moaning, of bitter weeping! Rachel mourns her children; she refuses to be consoled because her children are no more. Thus says the lord: cease your cries of mourning, wipe away the tears from your eyes. The sorrow you have shown shall have its reward. . . There is hope for your future. "catholic charities holds all life as sacred. We acknowledge that we live in a society in which the unborn are unprotected and that many lives are touched by the reality of abortion. In addition we also believe in the compassion and mercy of god who forgives. Through project rachel, our post abortion healing program seeks to reach out in compassion to the woman, man, family members, and friends suffering from the aftermath of abortion. Forgiveness and peace of heart is offered through counseling and referral for the sacrament of reconciliation. With help, those affected by abortion can move forward renewed and reconciled with self, the unborn child, family, community, and with god. A 800 phone line is designated for project rachel calls so people hurting from the aftermath of abortion can get 24/7 information about post abortion healing and reconciliation. Counseling services are provided by our licensed counselors at all of our locations. Insurance and sliding fee is available. Referrals are made for the sacrament of reconciliation. We work closely with the pro-life secretariat office of the usccb (unites states conference of catholic bishops). The number served is included in the counseling number.

refugee resettlement program - catholic charities refugee resettlement program (ccrrp) has a rich history of serving primary refugees in our community since 1975. The refugee resettlement program meets the regional needs of the refugees designated to resettle here, either through family reunification or as "free cases" assigned to our local community. New refugees are at their most vulnerable as they enter the united states. As the only resettlement agency in southeastern minnesota, ccrrp seeks to address the most fundamental needs of all new refugees such as access to shelter, food, clothing, income, medical care, education, and employment. Operating under the umbrella of united states conference of catholic bishops/ migration and refugee services (usccb/mrs) in collaboration with department of state/bureau of population, refugees, and migration (dos/prm), ccrrp carries out refugee services to address needs by providing direct case management and networking with the intention of building financial independence. Financial self-sufficiency is achieved through acquiring safe and stable housing, asset building, financial literacy training, and basic employment soft skills training which assists refugees in gaining the ability to secure employment, a more sustainable and significant source of financial independence. We also provide cultural, transportation, shopping and budgeting orientations. We welcomed 131 individuals in fiscal year 2017, representing 51 separate cases. Refugee individuals and families we cared for came from ethiopia, iraq, somalia, burma (myanmar), and syria. We saw cases consisting of one individual to cases comprised of 2-6 individuals. As a program, our greatest strength is our intensive client-centered case management. Goals established for refugees are intended to: address immediate social/educational needs, attain a stable environment, develop skills for employment, understand basic financial principles, and promote seamless integration. The process we utilize entails an intake and assessment, goal development, intervention, referrals, monitoring and reassessing throughout the service period and transitioning services seamlessly to other service providers at the end of the 90 day resettlement period. The goal of resettlement is empowering individuals with the knowledge and skills that will assist them on the road to self-sufficiency. Refugees want what many americans want: to feel a part of their community, gain employment, and ultimately find a place to call "home. "mahmoud has seen his county of syria once a peaceful and beautiful country turn into a war zone, with unimaginable numbers of civilians killed. He knew that once the bombings came there was no life left for his wife and young child there. They fled, escaping to turkey but they were not wanted there, seen only as a burden along with the other millions of refugees without a home. He applied for refugee status and waited for many years for word. With a notice of deportation from turkey in hand (as refugees do not have any legal standing in the countries they flee to), the news that he and his small family would travel to the united states to reunite with his parents and brothers came just in time. The hardships don't end when you arrive into the us, but mahmoud's positive attitude and willingness to push himself to go out and learn all that he could has led him to a new beginning. With the assistance of the match grant employment program and his own motivation, he now works and is helping his wife look for employment. He is proficient at the bus and is quick to help others learn as well. Opap and his wife, ethiopian refugees, lived in a kenyan refugee camp almost their entire lives, and started to raise their 2 young children there as well, but never gave up hope that one day they would be with family in the united states and have a real home. After years of waiting they reunited with family this year, and to their great joy and surprise close friends from their many years in kenya as well. Opap and his family are a perfect example of how good case management and supportive volunteers can make all the difference. Only months after arrival opap and his wife are now working full time jobs, their children are in school, and they see only the possibilities that exist with life in their new home. They also take time out of their busy lives to help newly arrived refugees learn their way and see their future in this new place they call home. Catholic charities refugee resettlement continues to facilitate the match grant employment program, which assists refugees that arrive with work history and some fluency in finding employment within 180 days after their arrival. Match grant services include resume building, employment soft skills training, interviewing skills training, job search assistance, and post-employment advocacy and mediation. We served 40 individuals in the match grant program this year. Ccrrp also facilitates the refugee cash assistance (rca) program. Rca is an eight month government funded cash assistance program for refugees that arrive as singles or married couples without children. In fiscal year 2017, we saw a substantial increase in volunteerism from our local community members. Several groups from various faith traditions participated in volunteering as through our reformatted family mentors program, or collected important household items (beds/tables/chairs, new pillows, etc) and created children's welcome baskets, hygiene bags, cleaning supply kits, and survival kits. These kits/baskets continue to be a wonderful way for individuals and groups that want to support refugees in our community, to assist them in gaining the basic items needed as they establish themselves in the community. Each family, depending on the size, receives an estimated $1,000-$2000 dollars in donated items, completely from the generosity of the people in our community. We are so thankful for the support from all the communities in southern minnesota that have helped us this year. This year we worked to promote compassion with our "locks of compassion" project to support the refugee resettlement program and all the work we do to support refugees. The "locks of compassion" project re-created locks of love but with symbolic expressions of unity on decorated locks in our community to represent our community embracing a spirit of compassion. Locks decorated with signs, symbols, and words expressing compassion were prominently displayed on the "locks of compassion" community display in our downtown peace plaza. We continue to recognize refugees' gaining financial literacy skills as one of the most important components to helping refugees move towards financial stability and independence. We provide each refugee that arrives through our program with two classes on financial literacy that cover topics such as the difference between needs and wants, establishing savings, setting long-term financial goals, asset building, and various budgeting techniques. Classes are provided in various languages and interpretation assistance is also provided. Catholic charities refugee resettlement program's mission is to meet the needs of newly arrived refugees by providing one-on-one case management to guide them on their new journey and empower them in their new life.

rsvp program - common good retired and senior volunteer program (rsvp) is a federal program of the corporation for national and community service, sponsored by catholic charities of the diocese of winona. The program operates in sixteen counties in south central and southeastern minnesota, including: blue earth, brown, dodge, fillmore, goodhue, houston, le sueur, mower, nicollet, olmsted, rice, steele, wabasha, waseca, watonwan and winona. Working at the grassroots level with not for profit agencies, common good rsvp engages adults age 55 and over to volunteer their life experiences and skills in meeting the needs of their neighbors in their local communities through volunteer service. This service is completed through a network of not for profit agencies such as human service organizations, senior centers, non-profit transportation providers, area agencies on aging, schools and food banks. Rsvp volunteers provide critical services, including: food delivery, transportation, companionship, food pantry support, health and wellness programs, tutoring in elementary schools and home repair/building. Significant increases in life expectancy and a dramatic increase in the number of people over the age of 65 are setting the stage for long term care challenges in the 21st century both nationally and in minnesota. The minnesota department of health projects the number to double in the years from 2000 - 2030, with a 40% growth in the next 10 years. The number of individuals age 85 and over will nearly triple from 90,000 to 250,000 in the years 2000 to 2050. According to the minnesota state demographic center and u. S. Census bureau, there were 118,429 individuals age 65 and over residing in southern minnesota, which includes the 16 counties served by our rsvp project in 2014. The minnesota public health association estimates that at age 65 an individual has a 60 percent chance of needing long-term care in future years. Despite these numbers, a poll commissioned by the long term care imperative, 74 percent of minnesotans have no-long term care insurance, and more than 50 percent have no plan in place to cover costs associated with long-term care. In fiscal 2010, minnesota spent $720 million on nursing home care for the elderly, compared with $333 million in non-institutional care. Minnesota is in desperate need of low cost options to meet the growing needs of the aging populations that support individuals living independently in their own homes for as long as possible. The service activities of rsvp volunteers provide a vital low cost solution to this epidemic. Volunteers deliver meals to the doorstep and provide transportation to essential appointments. Together, these services increase social support and decrease loneliness, isolation and depression which often times increases the likelihood of long-term care placement. According to hunger solutions, a statewide partnership of organizations fighting hunger, the number of visits to minnesota food banks has grown 43% in the last four years, to approximately 2. 7 million visits a year in 2014. The working poor are the fastest growing group of food shelf users. Half of those served by food banks are children, and 20% are seniors. The missing meals report compiled by second harvest heartland of minnesota reported that minnesotans are missing 125 million meals annually, which is the equivalent of every low income minnesotan missing 10 meals per month. In the face of increasing need, minnesota food banks are struggling to keep up with demand, with over 50% indicating that they have had to turn people away in 2014. The impact of even mild nutritional deprivation can impede a child's cognitive development and impair their capacities for a lifetime. Our seniors are not faring any better; despite the availability of the supplemental nutritional assistance program (snap), less than half the eligible seniors take advantage of the program even though they face hunger personally. The complexity of the enrollment process and the perceived stigma of participating in the program are cited as enrollment deterrents. According to data provided by the minnesota state demographic center and u. S. Census bureau, an average of 11% of the population of the sixteen county service area of common good rsvp were living in poverty in 2014. Blue earth county has the highest percentage of the population living in poverty at 16. 9%, with the city of mankato (located in blue earth county) reported as the minnesota city with the highest percentage of poverty statewide at 26%. Poverty and social isolation combine to make food security a major concern in minnesota, considerably so in the 16 primarily rural counties served by our rsvp project. Common good rsvp volunteers provide assistance to food shelves, food banks, food recovery programs and food delivery programs - contributing significantly to the ongoing and increasing issue of food insecurity in our minnesota heartland. Many elementary school students do not receive the ideal amount of one to one interaction in developing their math, reading, and writing skills due to understaffed classrooms, single parent or dual parent working homes with less time for parental involvement in developing reading skills and increased demands placed on the teacher's time in the classroom setting. Rsvp volunteer tutors provide students with individualized attention directed at improving their math, writing, reading and comprehension. Through one-on-one tutoring sessions and classroom assistance provided by rsvp volunteers, students improve academic performance, receive positive reinforcement in their development, experience a positive intergenerational interaction with volunteers and demonstrate improved academic engagement. Common good rsvp supports partnering not for profit agencies by recruiting, referring, supporting and recognizing volunteers serving within their agencies. From july 1, 2016 to june 30, 2017, 1,237 common good rsvp volunteers provided 111,379 hours of service to 120 not for profit agencies in their communities. Age well at home - catholic charities of southern mn launched a new service to support older adults residing in winona county in 2017. The age well at home program made possible in part by funding provided by minnesota department of human services, live well at home grant administered by mn board on aging; is designed to provide support services to winona county residents 65 and older to safely sustain their independence in their own home, with the goal of reducing the need for long term care placement. This pay for service option offers support designed to improve health, maximize independence and community involvement. Specifically, the age well at home program provides the following services: transportation, companionship\respite, chore service, light housekeeping, telephone assurance calls. The program also provides a full-time staff member who serves as a community resource professional. The age well at home program provides services with the assistance of volunteers willing to share their time and generosity to help support the people we serve.

guardian & conservator program - the guardian & conservator program provides much needed assistance to clients who have been deemed incapacitated by a judge of the district court. Our clients are unable to make decisions on their own behalf and need guidance in protecting themselves and/or their finances. As guardian, we have the decision making authority concerning the person. As conservator, we have the authority to make financial decisions on the behalf of the protected person. The clients we serve may be developmentally disabled, seriously and persistently mentally ill, chemical and/or drug dependent, physically frail/impaired, cognitively impaired, or experiencing complex medical diagnoses. Our clients live in a variety of settings including residential group homes, corporate foster care, skilled nursing care centers, assisted living facilities and independent living settings. Specific examples of services provided to clients through the guardian & conservator program include attending medical appointments; giving legal consent for treatments, medications and procedures; finding better suited placement or living arrangements for clients when needed; shopping with and for clients; coordinating the sale of real estate or other valuable items on behalf of clients (with court approval); managing finances; assisting in locating and obtaining entitled services (such as medical assistance, social security and/or veterans benefits) and employment; and overall coordination of services to ensure that the highest quality of care possible is offered to each client. We strive to promote independence and pursue the least restrictive setting for our clients. Many of our clients do not have family or other supports and in many cases, have been marginalized by society. We act as advocates for our clients and are often thought of as surrogate family members. In the last fiscal year, we employed five staff members that have backgrounds in social work, human services and/or accounting. We served 100 clients including 12 new clients. Forty-nine of those clients were under both guardianship and conservatorship; 45 were under guardianship only and the remaining 6 were under conservatorship only. We are contracted to serve clients through winona, fillmore, goodhue, ramsey, and steele counties. We are serving most of our clients in the winona and surrounding area, but depending on their needs and the availability of appropriate placement, we have also served clients living in harmony, duluth, moorhead, foley, franklin, the twin cities, red wing, rochester, st. Peter, austin, albert lea, owatonna, faribault, leroy, northfield, la crescent, caledonia, houston, chatfield, zumbrota, hastings, lake city, elko new market, and wabasha. We strive to see our clients a minimum of once a month with the exception of those living in the far reaching areas of the state whom we see twice a year and as needed. Clients served ranged in age from 18 to 95. Both of the case aides in the program successfully advanced to caseworker in the last fiscal year. Our program is now operating without a case aide with the hopes of hiring a part-time administrative assistant to further support the program. In the last year, we increased our billable hours by 20% while serving the same number of clients as the previous fiscal year. This illustrates that we are serving more complicated cases than we have in years past. We continue to strive to be the first choice among referring agencies and sources for guardianships and conservatorships. Medication application service (mediapps) - the mediapps program remains a vital program within the winona area. Despite the implementation of the affordable care act (aca), clients in the winona area still struggle with the cost of prescription medication. Below are common situations where people struggle to pay for prescription medication. -medicare patients with drug coverage who cannot afford prescription co-pays once in the insurance coverage "gap"-employed, unemployed or retirees with no health care coverage-medicare recipients who cannot afford prescription drug coverage -chronically ill patients who cannot work or afford medications-low wage employees with high cost drug needs like insulin and asthma medicines-homeless living day to day with no resources-chronically ill who cannot afford health care plans or deductibles-those with high deductible plans unable to afford the deductibles-those undergoing temporary financial hardshipsthese are just a few of the people and situations that the mediapps program helps every day. The mediapps program helps people apply for and obtain no cost medications directly from the pharmaceutical companies and it also helps residents of several counties purchase medications and medical devices in emergency situations. Winona, houston and fillmore counties residents are blessed to have a local program funded by a donor-directed grant through the winona community foundation (wcf). This unique program funds immediate medication needs, medical equipment and supplies that help people on a short term basis. Often, this bridges the gap until alternative solutions are found. Referrals come from doctors, hospital social workers, other service agencies and family or friends who have been helped in the past. Bridging a short-term need often leads to long help in the form of pharmaceutical company "patient assistance programs". The mediapps caseworker helps those in need apply for and obtain no cost medicine through the pharmaceutical companies. Being an advocate means understanding the clients' needs and situation as well as the pharmaceutical company patient assistance plan rules and requirements. As an advocate, we work closely with the health care provider, the client, and the pharmaceutical companies to obtain the needed medications. Helping to apply and submit the needed forms, tracking each patient's medications, reordering regularly, obtaining refill prescriptions, communicating with the providers' office, the patient assistance plans, and the patient are just a few of the services provided. In addition, we help clients reapply for the program(s) annually, as needed. In addition to helping through patient assistance programs and short term medication purchases, the mediapps program helps clients purchase prescriptions through a national non-profit pharmacy set up to serve low income people. This pharmacy can be used on an ongoing basis to provide low cost medications. We also have resources to locate low cost coupons which can be used locally. We often uncover multiple needs relating to the health needs of a client as illustrated by the story shown below. A single retired woman came to the mediapps program for help with her prescription drug costs. Upon investigation, we found that she would be eligible for assistance through a pharmaceutical company's program despite the fact that she had insurance. Upon further conversation with the client, it became apparent that she had outstanding medical debt at two healthcare facilities. I assisted her with the completion of the financial assistance applications for both healthcare facilities, which resulted in the 100% reduction in her outstanding medical debt with both healthcare facilities. Because of her income level, i inquired if she had looked into food support through the county. She had not looked into this, so we completed the application together, which resulted in $24 per month in assistance through the supplemental nutrition assistance program. One visit to the mediapps program made a significant difference in the financial situation for this client. Finally, in order to sustain long-term solutions to our clients' medication needs, mediapps sees that eligible clients enroll in and maintain enrollment in government or private programs through the affordable care act. Mediapps completes the online application with the client and assists the client in submitting necessary household and income documents to winona county community services. In fiscal year 2017, the mediapps program provided immediate emergency assistance for medications/medical devices to 151 clients at a cost of $33,447. 38 of the 151 clients went on to secure medication through the patient assistance program within mediapps. In fiscal year 2017, the mediapps program secured 565 prescriptions valued at over $500,000 for 95 clients.