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…
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…
Catholic Social Services opens new shelter in Anchorage, providing 83 new beds for homeless
Catholic Social Services accomplished a milestone on June 6 with the help of all of you and many incredible partners. Together, we added 83 new beds to the shelter system at a time when it’s most needed. Thanks to so much hard work from our team, Complex Care at 303 W. Fireweed in Anchorage opened,…
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…
Complex Care is the first of its kind, the result of decades of experience and learning
Complex Care provides the chance to demonstrate the benefits of smaller, specialized shelters, thanks to our partners: Calista Corporation, Chugach Alaska Corporation, Doyon, Limited, the Municipality of Anchorage, Providence Health & Services, Rasmuson Foundation, and Weidner Apartment Homes. In the 55 years that Catholic Social Services has served our community, we’ve learned a lot about…
Complex Care provides supportive environment for medically fragile individuals
With the help of generous funding partners, Catholic Social Services adds 83 more beds to Anchorage’s shelter capacity and helps reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness in our community. On a sunny afternoon in Complex Care, Tommy (green jacket) sits next to the large windows in the communal kitchen, enjoying the sunshine and watching…
From Refugees to Restauranteurs: Naw Naw and Lu at The Ramen House
A decade ago, Naw Naw and Lu arrived in Anchorage from Burma, unfamiliar with the language, the culture, or the cold harsh winters. Ten years later, they’re experienced restaurant owners giving back to our community, raising their family together. In January 2011, Naw Naw and Lu landed in Anchorage for the first time, forced to…
Meet Elizabeth Chase, Program Director at RAIS
RAIS’ new program director, Elizabeth Chase has worked with RAIS for more than a decade and brings experience at every level of the program, from case management to funding to program leadership. For many years, RAIS has had two positions combined into one—RAIS Program Director and Alaska State Refugee Coordinator. With RAIS continuing to grow…
Embracing Growth: Looking Back on FY2021
Over the last year, you helped Catholic Social Services to grow, provide more programming, and blaze new trails in the services we provide, serving more than 13,000 people. New challenges for our neighbors pushed us to break new ground in the ways we serve our clients, our partners, and our community, all made possible by your commitment to…
Thank You for Your Support Through Charity Ball
This year’s 31st Annual Wilma Carr Charity Ball was an incredible success, thanks to all of our generous donors and supporters. On Saturday, May 7th, we were thrilled to join 350 supporters at The Hotel Captain Cook for a night of supporting the moms and kids at Clare House. This year’s theme was Together We…