News Room

Construction has officially begun on LifeHouse Cape Girardeau. This new crisis maternity home, which will serve southeastern Missouri, is scheduled to open in February 2024.

CCSOMO announces Ken Palermo hired as new Executive Director. He begins work on January 30, 2023, replacing Maura Taylor who retired December 15, 2022.

Big news today! After more than a decade of service to the vulnerable, Executive Director Maura Taylor announced her retirement today. A national search will begin to find a suitable successor.

The Springfield Daily Citizen reports on affordable housing needs in the community. Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri was invite to contribute to the conversation regarding Rental Assistance Demonstration Programs (RADs). To learn more about RADs and Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri's take on the issue, click the link.

In case you missed Friday afternoon's broadcast on KSMU - Ozarks Public Radio of its Sense of Community program, featuring Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri client Amanda, you can listen to it the link below.

Amanda's story is eye-opening--imagine sleeping outside in the cold on a couch with your child; or being so thirsty you can't swallow yet no one will give you a drink of water. Amanda survived these traumas, yet even though her life is on the mend at our Rancho Temporary Emergency Shelter for homeless families and women in need of medical respite, she still must secure a permanent place to live and employment to fully reclaim her life..

For Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri's part, we will continue to help her with the supports and referrals she need. She'll need this help from Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri and more partners to achieve a productive life of dignity and hope.

Thanks to (NPR affiliate) KSMU - Ozarks Public Radio for the production of its Sense of Community series about the problems related to affordable housing and locating any for people with less perfect personal histories.

Producer and Morning Edition host Michele Skalicky interviewed Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri Executive Director Maura Taylor for the series. She can be heard at 3:24 and 4:30 in the story below, speaking about the difficulties of securing affordable housing and the importance of finding it to prevent recidivism. The story is also well worth a listen to learn about the impact of felony convictions on housing applications. In the story, an 81-year old man cannot find an apartment because of a conviction in his 20s.

A Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri client is due to appear in this series on the Friday, April 1, at 7:44 a.m. and 4:44 p.m. Don't miss it. Her experience living in her car and surviving the ordeal will be insightful. Her success at our Rancho Temporary Emergency Shelter for homeless families and women in need of medical respite, will be inspiring.

#ReachingOut #ProvidingHope #ChangingLives, #AffordableHousing #recidivism

On October 20, 2021, CCSOMO leaders, Board members, along with local civic leaders, gathered to break ground for LifeHouse Cape Girardeau Crisis Maternity Home. The new facility located in Cape Girardeau will serve homeless pregnant of southeastern Missouri and is scheduled to open December 2022.

KSNF16 Joplin reports on Mabee Foundation award of $675,000 matching grant to Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri for new LifeHouse in Cape Girardeau.

#LifeHouseCape
#MabeeFoundation

Mabee Foundation awards $675,000 matching grant to Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri to build new LifeHouse in Cape Girardeau

Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri and Missouri's Healthy Blue have partnered to provide additional resources to homeless pregnant women and their children.

Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri is helping Missouri residents impacted by COVID with SAFHR applications for rent and utilities assistance. Applicants must have earned less than 80 percent of the Average Median Income where the live. More information at: MoHousingResources.com/safhr/

Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri wishes to recognize our volunteers with appreciation for all they do during #NationalVolunteerWeek. Thank you all for everything you do and God bless.

Leaders from Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri and 2019 Catholic Charities USA Volunteer of the Year Janet Hukriede will be speaking on KQOH (91.9 FM - Springfield) during its pledge drive.

The Internal Revenue Service announced that individuals have until May 17, 2021 to meet certain deadlines that would normally fall on April 15, such as making IRA contributions and filing certain claims for refund.

Your third stimulus payment cannot be taken for unpaid taxes. As for whether it can be taken by debt collectors, the answer is a bit more nuanced.

Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri announced it will open LifeHouse East to serve homeless pregnant women in Cape Girardeau region.

Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri is featured on 88.3 FM WIND Difference Makers program for month of February 2021. Hosted by Joe Rios, Executive Director Maura Taylor speaks about where CCSOMO fills in service gaps in the community and about the agency's holistic case management approach to social services.

The IRS' VITA program has helped eligible taxpayers for more than 50 years with free tax preparation. CCSOMO is pleased to offer this assistance to eligible persons and families beginning Feb. 6, 2021. Please note, this is a walk in and drop off service only due to COVID.

CCSOMO Housing Programs Director Cindy VanBuskirk discusses the agency's poverty relief efforts with EWTN News Nightly host Tracy Sabol.

The United States Treasury department has issued millions of second Economic Impact Payments by debit card.

Join the Knights of Columbus at one of three Springfield-area bowling alleys to benefit nonprofits Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri, The Kitchen, and Least of These.

LifeHouse Crisis Maternity Home celebrates 7th anniversary and the birth of nearly 100 babies to residents in the program for homeless pregnant women.

This 2020 Christmas and 2021 New Year public service announcement, produced in-house at Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri, is currently broadcasting on television across southern Missouri.

KY3 says, "There is a new shelter option for homeless families in Springfield this winter, as homeless service providers struggle to find enough space for people during the pandemic." See the story here.

Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri, Inc. (CCSOMO) is celebrating with a blessing ceremony of the recently opened winter shelter for homeless families and homeless women in need of medical respite at the former site of the Rancho Motel, located at 1720 E. Kearney Street, in Springfield. Roman Catholic Bishop Edward M. Rice of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau will bless the shelter on Wednesday, December 2, at 9:00 a.m. All media are invited to attend.

Consumer Credit Counseling Service of the Ozarks has $200,000 of CARES Act funding for rent and mortgage assistance for COVID-19 impacted residents of Greene County. These funds are only available through the end of November or until funds are exhausted.

For more information, please contact CCCS directly at 417.889.7474.

CCCS is a nonprofit corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri.

#covidrelief #rentassistance #mortgageassistance

The 2020 Roadkill & Rosé Wild Game Feast is done and in the history books now. See the story here.

Our 2020 Roadkill & Rosé event in Cape Girardeau is around the corner on October 10! Please come on by for this wild game cook-off, local wine, and craft beer event.

Please note, in order to ensure the safety of vendors, participants and staff, Roadkill & Rosé will be observing social distancing guidelines. See you then!

Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri awarded $100,000 by the Catholic Charities USA Innovation Challenge. The funds will go to CCSOMO's social enterprise initiative, a pre-apprentice construction on-the-job training program incorporated into Purpose Home Repair & Plumbing.

Springfield's KY3 News profiled Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri's efforts to assist people impacted by COVID with housing. Reporter Linda Simmons speaks with CCSOMO Housing Program Director Cindy VanBuskirk about the growing need this summer, the number of people assisted, and the urgent need for more funding as more people are expected to need housing assistance in the coming months.

We have rental and mortgage assistance available for people who meet the following conditions:

1. Must be a resident of Springfield;
2. Must be struggling to meet rental or mortgage obligation due to COVID;
3. Must meet income guidelines.

If you think you might qualify, please call us at 417.268.9998. Our intake staff will help you determine your eligibility.

Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri received a $15,000 Rural Vitality Grant from the Community Foundation of the Ozarks COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund during a virtual event on Aug. 6. The funds will go to CCSOMO's "Repairing Homes and Rebuilding Lives" program for low-income home improvements. This award will serve Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Dunklin, Howell, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Ripley, Scott and Shannon counties.

Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri is able to provide rent and utility assistance; mortgage and HUD counseling assistance for those who may be facing foreclosure. Applicants must live in Springfield city limits and be impacted by COVID. Certain other eligibility requirements apply. Call us at 417.268.9998 to learn more.

Purpose Home Repair and Plumbing is committed to providing an extraordinary value in Jasper, Newton, McDonald, and Barry counties. As a general contractor and plumbing social enterprise, customers will not only receive an excellent value for high quality work, they will simultaneously be supporting positive social change in the community by training future construction professionals. Visit www.PurposeHomeRepair.com or call 417.414.9515 to learn more.

IRS ADVISORY - July 15 tax-filing deadline is next Wednesday. Here's some helpful tips.

JOPLIN – Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri (CCSOMO), headquartered in Springfield, is launching a new social enterprise in Joplin, a nonprofit general contractor and plumbing business named Purpose Home Repair & Plumbing, which will serve Jasper, Newton, McDonald, and Barry counties. A ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the launch and a showcase presentation of Purpose Home Repair & Plumbing’s first insulated concrete forms (ICF) project will occur:

RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
1601 Furnace Street
Joplin, MO 64801

LifeHouse Crisis Maternity Home July 2020 Wish List. Please call us at 417.720.4213 if you can help by providing any of these items needed by pregnant mothers and their children.

Local TV station KY3 is listing Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri as a resource for assistance and a place to donate funds.

CCSOMO is advising the public about information from the IRS regarding Economic Impact Payment (EIP) record keeping. Recipients are advised to keep EIP Notice 1444 with all other important tax records.

The IRS is reminding the public that the extended deadline for submitting tax information is approaching on July 15, 2020.

Renters living in a HUD Multifamily Assisted or FHA-insured property are covered by a temporary eviction moratorium. To help renters determine if they are renting in a HUD Multifamily assisted or FHA-insured multifamily property, HUD has property data available online.

If you are receiving your Economic Impact Payment on a prepaid Visa card from Metabank, this notice will explain how to access your money and how to use your prepaid card.

CCSOMO began work with community partners to repair a local veterans home.