Catholic Charities’ Working Hands crew says it has housed eight participants, seeks funding to expand

Catholic Charities told the El Centro City Council on Oct. 21 that its Working Hands program, which hires people who are experiencing homelessness to perform cleanup and maintenance work, has helped participants obtain work and housing but needs sustained funding to expand.

The program “is basically a program for people who are unhoused to get them experience in an employment setting,” Antoinette, director of homeless services for Catholic Charities, told the council. She said the city funded the program with state PLHA money and that participants do cleanup in downtown and at parks while receiving case management and connections to housing services.

Working Hands lead Albert Houdegi described daily operations and employer and community interactions. “We decide where the team is going to work based on the feedback that we get from the City of…