Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD)

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development is the domestic anti-poverty, social justice program of the U.S. Catholic bishops. Its mission is to address the root causes of poverty in America through promotion and support of community-controlled, self-help organizations and through transformative education.

Special Opportunity Available for Summer Internship​

Do you have an interest in fighting poverty and the systems that oppress people? Would you like to spend time this summer working with grassroots groups dedicated to this goal, and funded by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development? Consider becoming a CCHD Intern!

OCSJM has received grant funding for a Summer Internship Program, and is looking for interested applicants.  Working from our office in New Haven, an intern will have opportunities for one-on-one interactions with local CCHD groups, research, training and outreach, and parish interaction, under the supervision of the Archdiocesan CCHD Director.

Explore Catholic Social Teaching on the ground, and learn about the important role that community groups can have in creating a brighter and more just future for the poor and vulnerable.

For more information, check out the brochure.

To apply, complete the application form and send it to our office with your resume.

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity!

How CCHD Works in the Archdiocese of Hartford

CCHD operates out of the Office for Catholic Social Justice Ministry. There is a CCHD committee that consists of parishioners from the archdiocese who are appointed by the Archbishop of Hartford.

The purpose of CCHD efforts in the Archdiocese is two-fold. We seek to:

  • Educate parishioners about poverty in Connecticut and in the U.S. and equip them to work for change.
  • Fund groups in the archdiocese who are working to end poverty. We fund groups through the donations you make to the CCHD collection which takes place at your parish the weekend before Thanksgiving.

CCHD Education Resources for Parishes

CCHD's web site: Here you will find wonderful resources for your parish including:

2012-2013 CCHD Funded Groups in the Archdiocese of Hartford

Thanks to the generosity of our parishes, the 2011 Archdiocesan CCHD collection totaled $341,400.69, 75% of which was sent to the National CCHD Office in Washington, D.C. for distribution. The remaining funds were allocated within the Archdiocese in the form of grants to assist local community organizing groups, and to OCSJM for the purpose of parish justice education.

National CCHD Grants Awarded in 2012

Teach Our Children

Teach Our Children is a parent-led organization organized in New Haven to improve the local public schools. It is a bilingual and multigenerational organization working to bring some of the most crucial and under-represented stakeholders in the education system to the forefront of reform efforts.

Funding will be used to focus on prevention of budget cuts to class room personnel and resources, expanding the school-based youth leadership chapter to high schools across the city, and expanding capacity to secure support for school improvement.

Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice

The Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice (CCEJ) is a grassroots organization whose mission is to improve urban environmental health through educating the community, promoting change in government policy, and promoting responsibility towards the environment. Through its Asthma Speakers Bureau of community residents, it has educated over 1000 Hartford residents on asthma.

Funding will be used to increase leadership capability among members to support the work of environmental justice. CCEJ aims to work with the Hartford City Council to increase recycling efforts in Hartford as an important first step to spur environmental and economic development in the city. The organization is also looking to increase its outreach in the New Haven and Waterbury areas.

Local CCHD Grants Awarded in 2012

Naugatuck Valley Housing Development Corporation

The Naugatuck Valley Housing Development Corporation is undertaking a major redevelopment and energy efficiency campaign for the Brookside Cooperatives housing project.  The 20 year old housing cooperative is in need of timely repairs and energy efficiency measures to maintain affordable and sustainable housing for low and moderate income families.  Current funding will be used to support leadership development as the members work on this campaign.  The project will include training and development of new resident leaders, building relationships within the community, and connecting Brookside leaders with other NVP leadership and issue campaigns.

St. Rose of Lima Church, New Haven

St. Rose of Lima Church is an inner city New Haven parish, predominately composed of new immigrants from 18 countries, among them Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Peru.  The principles of organizing are important in developing a strong parish from such diversity.  Through a series of house meetings and parish assemblies, issues such as in-state tuition, access to education and family life matters were identified.  Current funding will be used to match a donation and employ a part time parish organizer to strengthen parish leadership, to help leaders identify issues impacting immigrant families and to develop strategies for action.

United Action Connecticut

United Action Connecticut (UACT) is an interfaith, multi-racial, multilingual organization of congregations and community institutions which strives to make communities better places to live and work by organizing congregations and encouraging them to seek the common good.  Current funding will be used to develop a bilingual Communications Team that will translate and provide news bulletins, call to action alerts, fact sheets and press releases to Communications Managers in ten new UACT congregations.  The goal of this project is to improve communications to allow more leaders to develop and mobilize their communities for social justice.

United Connecticut Action for Neighborhoods, Inc.

Established in 1978, United Connecticut Action for Neighborhoods, Inc. (UCAN) works to expand community organizing in Connecticut. Current funding will allow the group to strengthen the organizing efforts of UCAN and its Caring Families Coalition around the issue of health care. The proposed project consists of building leadership teams to mobilize and empower low income residents to protect health care services from destructive cuts, and to win support of their legislators to solve health care problems identified by the project’s participants.

CCHD Committee Members

  • Mrs. Kate Clark
  • Mr. Thomas McCabe
  • Ms. Iris Ramos
  • Deacon Michael Ward

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Mission

The Office for Catholic Social Justice Ministry of the Archdiocese of Hartford advances Catholic social teaching by educating and preparing parishes to work for social justice.