Catholic Charities to Open Multi-Service Center to Support Those Affected by Key BridgeCollapse

September 5, 2024 — To provide a range of much-needed services to communities deeply affected by the Key Bridge collapse and its aftermath, Catholic Charities of Baltimore will open and operate a new bilingual support center near the bridge location, supported by generous grants from the Baltimore Community Foundation and The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation.

Dedicated to community recovery and stabilization, the Center will focus on: health and wellness, immigration services, and workforce development. To deliver, Catholic Charities’ will draw on staff and expertise from three of its existing programs — the Esperanza Center, Our Daily Bread Employment Center, and the Villa Maria Behavioral Health Clinic.

The inter-programmatic design of the initiative will enable the Center to facilitate services to every community member regardless of primary language used, immigration status, or workforce experience. We will meet clients where they are, without restrictions on eligibility or access, to ensure the everyone who walks through our doors will have the opportunity to voice their challenges, successes, and goals and achieve their God-given potential.

“We are profoundly grateful to have the opportunity and resources to serve in a truly meaningful way those touched by this heart-rending tragedy,” said Bill McCarthy, executive director of Catholic Charities. “With the compassionate support of the Baltimore Community Foundation and The Weinberg Foundation, we are going to lift up our neighbors and neighborhoods in need with service and love.”

The Center, which will be located at 2 North Dundalk Avenue, is scheduled to formally open in September.

Through its “Maryland Tough Baltimore Strong Key Bridge Fund,” the Baltimore Community Foundation has committed more than $1 million to the initiative over a two-year period. The Weinberg Foundation is investing $300,000 over two in the project and the people it serves.

“Catholic Charities is a respected human service provider with long-standing ties to the people and communities impacted by the collapse of the Key Bridge,” said Shanaysha M. Sauls, president and CEO of the Baltimore Community Foundation. “We are delighted to fund their important work.”

“We are honored to contribute to Catholic Charities’ recovery efforts following the Key Bridge collapse. By supporting the creation of this multi-service center, we hope to provide essential resources and a sense of stability to those who need it most,” said Elvis Guzman, program officer for The Weinberg Foundation.

About the Priority Service Offerings

Workforce Development: Bilingual Resource Navigators will facilitate direct client access and referrals to existing programming at Our Daily Bread Employment Center. This includes career coaching, job-preparation courses, and job placement. Eligible individuals may have the opportunity to pursue workforce certification courses at regional community colleges and other established partner organizations.

Immigration Services: Bilingual Resource Navigators will facilitate client access and referrals to programming at Esperanza. This includes immigration legal services, free primary care for the uninsured, English language training, and professional case management support services. Eligible individuals may have the opportunity to receive services in housing, behavioral health, tax preparation, and workforce development, among other areas.

Health & Wellness: Bilingual Resource Navigators will facilitate client access and referrals to behavioral health and primary care providers. Clients will have onsite access to individual and family therapy. Spanish-language therapy will be available.

About Catholic Charities of Baltimore

Catholic Charities of Baltimore is Maryland’s largest private provider of human services, with more than 80 programs in 200 locations. Inspired by the gospel mandates to love, serve, and teach, Catholic Charities is committed to a Maryland where each person has the opportunity to reach his or her God-given potential. Catholic Charities was established in 1923 and focuses on the key causes of Achieving Independence, Welcoming New Neighbors, Empowering Careers, Supporting Children & Families, Healing Trauma & Addiction and Aging with Dignity. Today, Catholic Charities is a family of more than 2,000 talented and dedicated colleagues, supported by nearly 8,000 selfless volunteers, and more than 10,000 generous donors. This Catholic Charities community includes people of all faiths, ages, and ethnicities, and together, they touch the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals and families each year.

About the Baltimore Community Foundation (bcf.org)

The Baltimore Community Foundation is dedicated to inspiring donors to achieve their charitable goals from generation to generation and to improving the quality of life in the Baltimore region through grantmaking, enlightened civic leadership and strategic investments.

About the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation (hjweinbergfoundation.org)

The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation is dedicated to meeting the basic needs of people experiencing poverty. Grants support direct services in the areas of Housing, Health, Jobs, Education, and Aging and serve a range of individuals, including women at risk and their children, older adults, people with disabilities, and the Jewish community.

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