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Catholic News Herald

Serving Christ and Connecting Catholics in Western North Carolina

041318 tiny houseGREENSBORO — When Patti Ladew, a parishioner of St. Paul the Apostle Church in Greensboro, read an article about a proposed Tiny House Community in her local newspaper, she knew instantly she’d found a way for the entire parish to help end homelessness in her city.

The non-profit organization Tiny Houses of Greensboro develops “tiny house” communities throughout North Carolina. Their first approved community in Greensboro would consist of five 288-square-foot tiny houses and one 180-square-foot tiny house. Each house features a bedroom, full bath, living area, and kitchen with full-sized appliances. The first two tiny houses were already funded by volunteers. THG has since been looking for partner organizations to raise money and build the remaining three homes.

Ladew took the article to her pastor, Father Joseph Mack, and received his permission to hold a meeting to determine if there was enough parish-wide interest. More than 20 people showed up for the first meeting. When they met with Scott Jones, THG’s executive board chair, he laid out the “nuts and bolts” of what the parish would need to do.

“He said it would take about $20,000 to build a home on a permanent foundation,” Ladew said.

Ladew and her group got the go-ahead from Father Mack, then sought guidance from Diocese of Charlotte leaders. Their contacts at the diocese could not have been more helpful, Ladew said.

“We started talking about the project (to the parish) before Christmas, but our real kickoff began in February. We got organized and had our presentation table after Mass and we raised about $10,000 in the first couple of weeks.”

Father Mack talked about it to parishioners, encouraging people to consider supporting the project as a way to help alleviate homelessness in their community.

Ladew said her group had received a “challenge grant” of $5,000 if they could raise the remaining $15,000 by the end of February.

“People opened their wallets like it all depended on them to get us to $15,000,” Ladew noted. “People were so incredibly generous that we didn’t need the challenge grant!”

“In fact”, she added, “we raised more than $20,000, so if we want the house to have solar electricity and the city approves it, we could even do that, or we could furnish the tiny house.

“We have just been so blessed by this congregation.”

The final report of contributions was $28,388. Teams of parishioners will build the house on St. Paul Church’s property. The house will then be disassembled, then reassembled and placed on a permanent foundation in the Tiny House community.

The parish’s first workday, to begin rough framing, will be April 14. Prior to the 9 a.m. start, the workers and the project will receive a blessing.

Eric Brown is the volunteer coordinator for St. Paul’s work team and liaison with the contractor for Tiny Houses of Greensboro. John Dahlingus and Glen Martin are the volunteer work crew captains.

— Annette K. Tenny, correspondent

Find out more
At www.tinyhousesgreensboro.com: Learn more about the work being done by Tiny Houses of Greensboro

042718 ccdocDirectors get hands-on at CCUSA annual gathering

Each year, employees from Catholic Charities agencies from across the country come together to learn from each other in fellowship. This year, the host city of Houston, Texas, was decimated by Hurricane Harvey days before the event was scheduled to take place. Instead of canceling, the gathering became a mission of service.

Partnering with the local Houston Catholic Charities, nine staff from our Catholic Charities agency rolled up their sleeves to assist with recovery efforts, including the distribution of food, water, cleaning supplies, and providing information and referral to case management services.

They joined a team of more than 500 others to provide help and hope to the local survivors. Executive Director and CEO Dr. Gerard Carter observed, “It was truly amazing to see the gratitude expressed to us for even the smallest help by people living in the midst of widespread devastation. The truism was really true here – we received much more than we gave.”

Winston-Salem office relocates to better serve the Triad

042718 ccdoc2Last summer, the Piedmont Triad Office relocated to a newly renovated 10,000-square-foot facility. “Our new location is in the midst of a neighborhood consisting of many more families. We have already experienced an increase of new people from the neighborhood coming to the food pantry and for baby clothes,” said Office Director Becky DuBois.

The building offers program participants a larger, more comfortable waiting room, a spacious food pantry, and a multipurpose room for events and gatherings.

The space enabling all staff to work together under one roof has already proven beneficial.

The Translation and Interpretation Enterprise (TIE) program has already trained more than 70 participants to become community interpreters since the program began two years ago.

The larger food pantry has been able to serve more people on a weekly basis. At a glance, in March of this year, 1,219 people were provided with 23,410 pounds of food, compared to 521 people and 12,956 pounds of food in March 2017. DuBois added, “We are grateful to our donors and supporters for their dedication and ongoing commitment to the mission and work of Catholic Charities from this new location.“
Social Concerns and Advocacy ‘Share the Journey’

042718 ccdoc3Spearheaded by the Social Concerns and Advocacy program, Catholic Charities staff are supporting Pope Francis’ launch of the Caritas “Share the Journey” campaign from St. Peter’s Square on Sept. 27, 2017, in support of migrants and refugees.

Director of Social Concerns and Advocacy Joseph Purello said, “I believe he has sent two clear messages. One is to all migrants and refugees that they are not forgotten – the Church is aware of their struggles and fears. And the second is to all Catholics – that we must pray for migrants and refugees, love them as our neighbor, and help alleviate their suffering.”

Catholic Charities sponsored a rally and prayer service with the Asheville vicariate for “Dreamers” to promote social awareness. “Before the hundreds in attendance and observing at the sidelines, the Church gave public witness to the plight of migrants in our communities. The Aztec dancers from St. Lawrence Basilica showed the rich culture that the Hispanic community brings to our church and community,” said Nicholas Haskell, Catholic Charities’ Poverty and Justice Education Coordinator for Western North Carolina.

Asheville expands services to those most vulnerable

042718 ccdoc5New leadership roles and an expansion of services have highlighted this past year in the Asheville area. Deacon Mark Nash joined Catholic Charities as the western regional office director. Deacon Nash brought to the role a unique combination of pastoral ministry and significant corporate management experience to benefit the western area of the diocese.

Efforts are being made to establish the Burial Assistance Program throughout the western region of the diocese. “We are working to finalize an agreement with local funeral homes and cemeteries to make this program a reality for the poor and underserved in our region,” said Deacon Nash. Once in place, this program will be the only one of its kind in the western region, allowing those in need to be buried with dignity.

Case Management services have been added to the list of services offered in the Asheville office. Christy Rhodes was hired to bring her experience and skill as the office looks to expand the Transitions Out of Poverty program to Asheville.

— Kathleen Durkin, Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte

 

 

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