Motivated by our mission to advocate for a just society, enhance the lives of individuals and families, and witness to the values of mercy and justice, Catholic Charities (CCDSD) applied for and received a performance-based contract from the County of San Diego to provide Case Management services to approximately 3600 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients in north central San Diego city.

In operation since July 1998, Catholic Charities Employment Case Management Services program provides supportive services including job readiness appraisals, job and training referrals, skills testing, and follow-up.

In Spring 2005, our contract was renewed which would allow us to continue these services until June of 2011. Additionally, we are providing employment services for Refugees in northern region of San Diego County.

Our primary goal is to assist TANF/CalWORKs recipients enrolled in Welfare-to-Work attain self-reliance through I sustained and sustainable employment. Our office is located at:

• 9535 Kearny Villa Road, San Diego, CA 92126, Suites 101-103; we may be reached at 858 547-3630.

In 2001, the Board of Supervisors commissioned the RAND Corporation to evaluate the San Diego Welfare Reform model and its different service providers. The results of this study published in a RAND Report released in April 2005 gave Catholic Charities good marks. Some of the study's conclusions are:

• On average, private providers appear to be performing better than government providers. However, performance has converged over time.

• For regional performance on the ultimate outcomes of caseload reduction and employment, RAND concluded that no provider is dramatically better or worse than the others. Given that caveat, Catholic Charities appears to perform best or near the top on most measures.

Some of our major accomplishments this past year:

• The program "survived" the CalWIN transition while maintaining quality of service and meeting contract goals.

• Successfully negotiated with the County to revise the pay-for-performance method so it is more equitable and fair.

• As of October 2006, we have achieved the highest rate among all regions of employed clients who are in jobs that pay $10/hr or more (27.50%).

Currently we have 15 dedicated staff speaking nine different languages, Each one is committed to empowering families in their journey towards overcoming poverty. We believe that together we can make poverty history... one family at a time.