Catholic Charities Serving Tangipahoa helps with more than just housing crises

Headquartered in the St. Albert Student Activity Center in Hammond, the Catholic Charities Serving Tangipahoa Program is just one of the many branches of the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge.

Originally set up in to meet the challenges of the post-Katrina environment, the program was initially known as “Tangipahoa Cares,” and was an emergency assistance program – the agency’s most widely-known service in the parish.  In 2009, reflecting the organization’s move away from short-term ‘band-aid’ solutions and into more sustainable services, Tangipahoa Cares was developed into the wiser-reaching Serving Tangipahoa Program, and was moved into a new location on the Established Plaza, bringing all of the charity’s services under one roof.  Services are provided regardless of race, religious creed, or economic status.  In the words of Lynn Gaudet of the CCDBR, “We help families help themselves and become more self-reliant.”

In addition to having advanced immigrant outreach programs and Tangaphoa-based Case Managers, the organization is a recognized job resource in the Tangipohao Parish, with people of all ages and faiths utilizing the charity’s expertise to train and find work placements.  Special programs are in place to assist older workers, disaster survivors and people with a disability.

Through the Saint Albert the Great Catholic Church, Catholic Charities Serving Tangipahoa offers mental health counseling services for those who may be having a hard time coping with difficulty or crisis.  The service is low-cost and fully professional, with all counselors being licensed clinical social workers.  It is open to all faiths; the counselors on-hand have particular expertise in assisting with family issues, marriage counseling, and post-disaster counseling.

The organization also houses a Family Achievement Center, offering educational and training programs aimed at increasing people’s self-sufficiency.  This Center is home to a number of community-based support groups which serve the needs of a wide variety of vulnerable demographics; educational programs aimed at assisting first-time home-buyers; budgeting classes and training for those on low incomes, and a course of family-strengthening activities.

As funding streams related to the Katrina disaster begin to be phased out, the Serving Tangapahoa Program relies increasingly on private donations and the assistance of the local community.  They assure their benefactors that all donations made locally will stay in the Tangapahoa Parish.

In 2007, the Catholic Charities network – of which Serving Tangapahoa is a part – was ranked among the nation’s best and largest nonprofits in the country by the NonProfit Times, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, and Charity Navigator.

Call 985-542-5455 to speak with a program representative.