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One man’s journey from Puerto Rico to Brother Francis Shelter

“These people, from the time I came here – they have opened doors for me, they are very nice with me.” – Daniel, commenting on his stay at Brother Francis Shelter. Daniel came to Alaska this spring, hauling a trailer, food service know-how, and plenty of hope. He had completed the last leg of a…

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Health and Wellbeing Through Art

Sister Lucia believes the beauty of art is only half the reward; the other half is tending to the human spirit. By encouraging guests to pick up a pencil or brush and begin creating, Sister Lucia has initiated a healing journey for many of the guests at Brother Francis Shelter, Complex Care, and Clare House….

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Providing Stability to new neighbors through family mentorship

Permanent stability is more than providing basic needs. A focus on long-term needs social and emotional wellbeing through programs like RAIS Family Mentorship provides clients the tools and resources to thrive in their new home. In FY22, RAIS helped to resettle 276 new arrivals – the majority of which arrived from Ukraine or Afghanistan. Thanks…

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We’re moving!

Catholic Social Services is moving its main office to 4600 Debarr Road, effective late March and early April. With your help, Catholic Social Services has seen tremendous growth over the last few years in the services we’re able to provide to our neighbors in need and strengthen our community. To support this growth, we need…

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Helping Holidays donors spread cheer in their community

On a dark, frigid morning early this December, Berta Gardner (pictured above), walked into Catholic Social Services’ main center bearing gifts, a smile, and plenty of holiday cheer! While handing her Helping Holidays gifts over to staff, Berta mentioned she was ‘very proud of her grandchildren’ for choosing to opt out of Christmas gifts and…

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Thank you for making this year’s Grow Local, Give Local campaign a success

Every June, Refugee Assistance & Immigration Services (RAIS) teams up with St. Francis House Food Pantry for our annual Grow Local, Give Local campaign. During Grow Local, Give Local, donors like you support the livelihoods of refugee farmers in the Fresh International Gardens (FIG) co-op by purchasing produce they’ve grown and donating it directly to…

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Brother Francis Shelter will provide 40 new emergency shelter beds for our community

As colder weather arrives, our community is working to expand its emergency shelter capacity. As part of this effort, Brother Francis Shelter is adding 40 beds, bringing the maximum capacity up to 120 guests, made possible by Alcohol Tax Funding. Brother Francis Shelter will not be expanding its capacity any farther than 120 guests and…

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Anchorage needs a low-barrier walk-in shelter

For the first time in 40 years, Anchorage doesn’t have a low-barrier walk-up shelter. Closing the Sullivan Arena without another option has left our city in crisis. For hundreds of our neighbors, safe emergency shelter is now impossible to find. CSS is doing everything we can. We opened Complex Care, Clare House and Brother Francis…