Catholic Charities Providing help. Creating hope.

Catholic Charities receives two grants
from state for Refugee Services

Venice—Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice, Inc., which operates 31 programs throughout 10 counties in Southwest Florida, received two grants from the Florida Department of Children and Families, Office of Refugee Services to assist refugees relocating in the area.

An Employability Status Assistance Grant was awarded for $600,000 annually for three years. A Refugee Youth and Families Grant was given for $450,000 annually for two years. Both programs will begin serving clients in October.

The Employability Status Assistance Grant will help refugees/entrants to receive legal services, as they apply for employment authorizations, immigration status or naturalization. Refugee clients can receive these services through Catholic Charities offices located in Sarasota, Fort Myers and Naples.

“Most refugees and entrants need help with obtaining immigration and work documents which is so essential in the process to become self sufficient and gain employment,” said Slav Tkach, refugee programs director for Catholic Charities. “This Employability Status Assistance Grant will be so beneficial to our clients.”

The Refugee Youth and Families Grant will serve refugee families located in Collier County by focusing on the preservation of the entire family as part of an overall goal of achieving economic self-sufficiency and effective resettlement.

“Most of our refugee programs focus on adults and employability,” said Lucille Acken, director of grants and program support for Catholic Charities. “This grant is about the refugee children. It is comprehensive in the approach to success for refugee families. It considers the whole family through school performance, career development, and empowerment of the family.”

Some features of the program, Acken said, will be opportunities to interact with mainstream families, group and individual counseling, after-school tutoring and English language development. The program will be operated out a Catholic Charities office in Naples.

Last year, Catholic Charities served over 1,200 refugees/entrants who came to Southwest Florida to start a new life. Many refugees flee their homeland because of the threat of death and/or oppression.

Catholic Charities is one of the largest providers of refugee programs in the state, which include Refugee Employed and Productive, Match Grant, Refugee Resettlement, and Cuban and Haitian programs. These services, which help refugees to resettle into the American culture and find employment, are funded by grants from the Florida Department of Children and Families, Office of Refugee Services and the United States Council of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C.

“As a result of the success of these programs, we were able to secure the two new grants to ensure even greater assistance for our clients,” said Tkach. Many refugee clients gain employment at Southwest Florida companies such as PGT Industries, Jen Wend Inc., Goodwill Industries, Target, Wal-Mart, and restaurants and hotels.

Photo: Clients of Catholic Charities Refugee Services programs attend classes on how to resettle into the community.