Read our Stories
Tr
auma and Perseverance: George’s Story
George grew up in a military family, moving around the world for his entire childhood. His family finally settled in Maryland when his father retired from the Army. George was living on the East Coast during that time, but he ended up moving in with his parents after his divorce and getting full custody of his 3-year-old twin daughters, Sarah, and Micah.
While living with his parents, he was able to devote all his time to his two girls and provide a safe, fulfilling childhood for them. They spent their days with sports, exploring the ocean, and camping trips. George coached the girls’ sports teams and was devoted to their lives and raising them. The girls grew up in a loving home. They both attended college, with Sarah joining the Navy and Micah marrying a military husband.
A Special Soul: Yuhara’s Story
It was a typical Sunday in March 2020; team members at Catholic Charities Rachel’s Women’s Center were getting ready to serve lunch when they saw a taxi pull up to the curb. A petite woman got out of the taxi wearing a hospital gown. She stood in front of our Rachel’s Women’s Center, peeking inside, not sure what to do. One of our team members came outside to help her as the taxi pulled away. Turns out it was a one-way ride from the hospital to a shelter because the woman was unhoused.
Immediately, our team sprang into action, getting her clothing, helping her to a large chair where she could sit, and started explaining what was going on.
Mariana’s Story- Acts of Selflessness
“I stayed, but I stayed in a not-very sanitary house where there were rats, there were cockroaches and other very unpleasant things.”
This was the environment 81-year-old Mariana a senior with various health issues, had to stay in to have a roof over her head. For her, this was the only option besides turning to a shelter for a place to sleep. An unhealthy environment for elder seniors is a story we are unfortunately very familiar with at Catholic Charities. Older generations who no longer can work are having difficulty finding housing while also struggling with various health concerns. In the city of San Diego, inflation has made it hard for people to find proper housing. In 2022 the average cost of rent was between $2,187 to $3,570. A range that is so difficult for people who are retired and living off a fixed income of social security to afford, just like in the case of Mariana.
EFDN+ Story- Acts of Selflessness
Since March 2020, Catholic Charities has coordinated the distribution of over 2.3 million pounds of food or 1.9 million meals, many of our recipients not only receive food but also serve as volunteers throughout the 12 distribution sites and 6 pantries in San Diego and Imperial County. The Emergency Food Distribution Network Plus (EFDN+) Program has served over 190,000 community members. 
Carmen, a mother of 3 daughters, started coming to get food for her family through the EFDN+ program. Inflation and increases in gas, and the cost of food were making it hard to feed her family.
“Every time we shopped for groceries, we spent at least $200 to $300 weekly. The prices for groceries, food, and gas keep going up,” said Carmen.
The Sadri Family’s Story- Acts of Selflessness
Mushtaq and his family were a typical Afghan family, living their lives, working, and attending school. Everything was normal until the Taliban took control, changing their culture and community.
“The Taliban made it difficult for everyone, not just for our family or me. It is so difficult because the woman can’t work. The women can’t go to school, college, everything. My sister wants to study and attend college; she has goals.”
The changes in the Afghanistan Government affected the entire family and crushed his sister Bibi Maryam’s dream of becoming a Doctor. Their unwavering support for each other lead them to make a life-changing decision.
Dallin and Lita’s Story- Acts of Selflessness
Dallin spent most of his younger life on the road, moving 14 times before the age of seven. He was working in the restaurant industry as a Chef when COVID began, and the national shelter-in-place order was issued. Dallin found himself without a job and unsure of what his next steps would be. After receiving his unemployment check, he decided to load up his life and his trusted companion Lita and hit the road once again. Lita is Dallin’s 2- year-old mix-breed dog, she has been with him since birth, and the two are inseparable, dependent on the other. They traveled and explored dirt roads and nature from Mt. Whitney to Mexico. Their travel continued until 6 months ago when their car finally died. They spent another 3 months living in the broken-down car until it was towed; with no other option, they set out on foot.
Alexis’s Story- Acts of Selflessness
Alexis was at a crossroads, deciding to give up her emotional support pet to receive assistance or stay together and face being unsheltered and unsafe. Alexis was trying to make ends meet.
Living a “minivan life” sounded like a doable plan, but the reality was it was difficult. Alexis and ASAP, her 3-year-old German Shepherd, were living out of her van and trying to find a safe place to stay that would not only accept her but her lifeline ASAP. Alexis had some bad habits that she was willing to give up, but she was not willing to give up having her fur family with her.
Rachel’s PromiseMichelle’s Story
Night and Day: Why We Need More Beds for Homeless Women in San Diego
In 2021, Rachel’s Women’s Center served 835 unique women, while Rachel’s Night Shelter was only able to serve 138 unique women. The gap leaves hundreds of women on the street each night.
Catholic Charities is speaking with the City of San Diego to expand our capacity by opening a new, additional women’s shelter downtown, called Rachel’s Promise. It is not just a matter of getting more beds. It is a means to get more women into our program and, eventually, their own permanent housing.
Had Michelle not gotten a spot at Rachel’s Night Shelter, she might not be one of our success stories today. Read Michelle’s story, hear about her experience, and donate now to support Rachel’s Promise.
A New Land: The Golzari Family’s Story
As they walked in darkness, between the distance and possibility of death, it felt like they might never reach the lights on the other side of the mountains.
Shakib and his family negotiated the treacherous Afghanistan terrain, they stayed just far enough apart not to trip each other. The steep cliffs and narrow trail posed greater danger as fatigue and nightfall set in during their 48-hour trek. Shakib was 7 years old at the time.
“Any small mistake you made, you could die,” Shakib recalled, along with other blurred flashbacks from the journey years ago. Mountains. Darkness. Horses. Tired. Those faraway lights that seemed to move back as they trudged forward.
Listening to Shakib, the raw emotion of his fear as he recalled the memory made it seem like this happened yesterday and not over a decade ago.
The Golzari family made it out of the war zone alive. While their surroundings would now be safer, their lives would not get easier.
Jaimeson’s Story
A New Friend: Jaimeson’s Story 
After months of living in her car, Jaimeson could feel her mind giving way to the idea of ending things.
Every minute of every day was a battle—and though she was always a fighter, she had no fight left. Nowhere to go. No one to talk to. Nothing to live for.
Calmly and carefully, Jaimeson planned her suicide. She picked the day and the means, then began to put her thoughts on paper. Most importantly, she wanted her family to know she loved them and that she had found peace in her decision.
They Saved Each Other
“Once I’m gone, it’ll be easier for everyone,” Jaimeson recited to herself as the day drew nearer. Her car was breaking down and so was she. But less than 48 hours from what would have been her final goodbye, her fate changed with an unexpected hello. Click Here To Read More….
Lizbeth’s Story
The decision was clear
as day and the reality was dark as night.
What happened in Lizbeth’s Imperial County home was unforgivable. Unspeakable. Unimaginable. As she sat in her parked car—a trunk full of their clothes and only possession, her two young daughters in the backseat—Lizbeth knew what she needed to do. Thankfully, she also knew where she needed to go. In the days after being chased out, she stayed with her family. During that time, she heard of a place called House of Hope.
“Where Are We Going, Mommy?”
Lizbeth did not want to burden or endanger her family by moving in with them for an extended time. When she made up her mind to visit House of Hope, Catholic Charities’ women’s shelter in El Centro, she told her little ones they were going to a place where they could be together, where they would be welcomed. The 24-hour shelter offers a supportive environment where single homeless women and their children can stay with access to additional services to help them. Click Here To Read More….
Finding Hope Through Adversity
Pregnant, jobless, and a single mother with three children in tow and one stuck across the border, Natalie entered our women’s shelter in El Centro ahead of the pandemic winter.
In this summer of reemergence, she now leaves for a new beginning. When COVID-19 took hold in California’s Imperial Valley, it made already-difficult conditions dire for the region’s farmworkers. They are essential to agriculture, crucial to the community. And yet they are the most vulnerable to poverty, homelessness, and, during the pandemic, sickness or death. “Imperial County’s farmworkers have long been plagued by insufficient housing options, low wages and barriers to healthcare,” the Times of San Diego reported.
“COVID-19 worsened those conditions and the agricultural industry has since seen major outbreaks statewide.” For Natalie, the work dried up completely, leaving her and her children in limbo between Mexico and America. Soon, a new kind of labor ensued.
Good Samaritan Spotlight: Nadine Toppozada, Director of Refugee and Immigrant Services
The saying goes that you need to walk a mile in someone’s shoes to understand their experiences and perspectives. Nadine Toppozada has lapped that mantra many times over when it comes to assisting refugees and immigrants arriving at Catholic Charities of San Diego.
As Director of Refugee and Immigrant Services at our Mission Gorge Place offices, Nadine is one of the first people our participants meet after they enter the U.S. Her path to Catholic Charities traces through several of the troubled regions from which many of them have fled.
A Woman of Courage Beats Cancer at House of Hope
When Rosa went into surgery for cervical cancer, she wondered whether she would awaken in Heaven or on Earth. How her strength, faith and shelter led to the latter.
It started with a dull but worsening ache in her lower abdomen. Within weeks, Rosa was bleeding profusely—beyond what’s expected of menopause.
As she lay on the floor of her home in Imperial County, staring up at the ceiling, Rosa knew she needed help. Her bed sheets were ruined with blood. Her mind, racing; her body, throbbing. She was unable to work and running out of money.
Robert's Story - A Home is Gold
“There’s a lot of gold back in those hills,” says Robert, a native of Westmorland, California, in the Imperial Valley.
In 1990, a few years after one of the largest goldmines in the U.S. opened roughly 40 miles east of his hometown, Robert took a job as a haul truck operator at the site near Glamis, California. “The truck’s seat was 36 feet high; it hauled 200 tons at a time,” he recalled. “The tires alone were 12 feet high.”
Antoinette Fallon, Director of Homeless Services in San Diego
Antoinette’s Story
When Antoinette Fallon accepted a part-time, temporary job at Catholic Charities’ Rachel’s Women’s Center in downtown San Diego, she was new to the organization but she was not new to the work. Relocated from New York with decades of experience in social services, she figured 30-days at Rachel’s would put her experience to good use until she decided what she wanted to do next.
Catholic Charities is Recognized by the City of Chula Vista as Champions for our community Service During the COVID-19 Pandemic
CCDSD’s team is committed to serve our communities.
#YouAndMeCCDSD
We wish you and your loved ones a blessed year ahead, and pray that it be a healthy, safe, and peaceful one for all!
La Posada - The Urban Farm Workers Among Us
Seeing the Imperial Valley Through a New Lens with the County’s First Dedicated CCDSD Director
Listos California Outreach Program - Having Communities Prepare for Emergencies
Unfazed Realism, Unwavering Optimism
It was Tuesday, November 17, 2020. Our team was on our daily 8:30 am call. Since the pandemic started, back in March, the Directors and leads at Catholic Charities have been meeting daily, discussing any updates or issues any of our programs have been facing. It keeps us all connected and aware of what the different programs face with clients, keeping safe and running programs during a pandemic. Antoinette Fallon, our Director of Homeless Services in San Diego brought up an email she had just sent out that morning. A homeless woman who just had a baby by cesarean was being released by the hospital into our care (under one of our grants with the hospital) to oversee her hotel stay for 2 weeks. This was different, most of the clients released from the hospital were homeless but, this was the first woman with a newborn coming into our care. Antoinette’s request was simple and sincere. Her email read “I’m wondering if we can pool some resources from within our own organization to assist.”
Billie's Story
Trauma, Terror, and Transformation
While the police were escorting Ivonne out of a downtown San Diego homeless shelter, they were alarmed by the chilling context of her cries. She was screaming, gasping, battered, and pleading for help.
Running from Real-Life Nightmares
At home in New York, his best memories became haunting, so Henry started running, trying to stay in front of his thoughts, memories and everything that took his very breathe away. Texas couldn’t heal his heart. Vegas couldn’t distract his mind. A random bus ticket brought him to San Diego, where he now lives and works—and where he almost died. Grief and loss had jettisoned Henry across the country, into countless churches, through severe depression, to attempted suicide.
Imperial Valley Story
I was inspired and amazed that as fear and sickness spread throughout Imperial County, so did faith, food, and a blueprint to feed the hungry and the most vulnerable. With the inevitable winter surge of COVID19 approaching, this forgotten corner of California needs another miracle.
In the harrowing fight against hunger, however, there was a miraculous reprieve. Since the crest of the first coronavirus wave, Catholic Charities’ Emergency Food Distribution Network Plus (EFDN+) has provided 312,981 pounds of food or 260,818 meals to Imperial County along with the infrastructure to unite eight different ministries in feeding the thousands of residents facing food insecurity.
Bianca’s Story
As you are sitting around this holiday weekend, things unfortunately look a lot different with families not traveling to be together, the weight of the pandemic still heavy on all of us. Think back to last year, before any of us knew what COVID-19 was before social distancing was a common phrase. Back to when your family was gathering and celebrating together. Now, while you are smiling and reminiscing about last year, I ask you to put yourself in Bianca’s shoes.
It is two days before Thanksgiving, everyone is working to tie up loose ends before the long weekend of food and family gatherings, there is excitement in the air and people around the office are smiling, giddy as the final hours are counted down.
Now, you are Bianca, sitting at your desk, your hand trembling, holding a pink slip. How did this happen? Work was going well, no complaints, no issues. The past year you have been working hard, working overtime being a team player. Now the reality sets in, with the downsizing, the newer employees were the first to go. Click Here to Read Bianca’s Story
Dear Friends and Family of Catholic Charities:
What if 2020 is the year we have been waiting for?
A year so uncomfortable, so painful, so scary, so raw- that it finally forces us to grow.
A year that screams at us so loud, finally awakening and rekindling us.
A year the world changed around us and forced us to change how we interact with each other as fellow humans. A year that gave us the opportunity to band together, help neighbors, and become the “Good Samaritan.”
I have been at Catholic Charities for 2 years now and have learned more about our communities in the last 9 months, than in the 20 years living in San Diego. I have been so overwhelmed with gratitude and faith in mankind as we fight to keep each other safe and work together in solidarity for what is right. For what is just. For what is kind. We are walking side-by-side with the most vulnerable who have been hit hardest – those who have lost their jobs, their businesses, and even their loved ones to COVID-19 and the related economic fallout.
Nursing Students Partner with La Posada & Rachel’s Women’s Center
SAN MARCOS — Cal State San Marcos School of Nursing has partnered with Catholic Charities in San Diego to provide students with 135 clinical hours required to graduate and become licensed nurses. Click here for the full story by The Coast News Group.
“FOR I WAS HUNGRY AND YOU GAVE ME FOOD”, MATTHEW 25:35
In response to a rapidly changing reality due to COVID-19, at the Catholic Charities’ Board meeting on Thursday, March 12th, Bishop McElroy called upon Catholic Charities to organize an effort to increase accessibility for vulnerable populations experiencing food insecurity: low-income families and homebound individuals. As defined in our mission, Catholic Charities
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
We all have those moments in life, moments that define us as a person, moments that change us forever, moments that challenge the humanity within us, and moments that will forever stay with us, a frozen moment in time.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Ndizeye can remember the day nearly two decades ago when he was forced to flee his home in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The soldiers. The guns. The shouting. The crying.
“We knew what was about to happen if we stayed,” he says…
For many refugees, home is a place they may never return. See resettlement through the eyes of a DRC refugee.
THE HANDS THAT FEED US
I tell him that I want to experience a day in his life and share his story. Upon translation, Edgar nods in approval. Martin smiles and takes a slow sip of coffee.
“People can see how hard it is to work in the fields,” Edgar says. “And how little we make.”
In this California border town, migrant farm workers line the streets at night in hopes of getting hired for the day. If they’re chosen, the bus leaves now and work starts by sunrise.
THE INVISIBLE HOMELESS
By 7 a.m., Mrs. P will have a complete coffee and tea station ready for the women waiting in line outside of Rachel’s Women’s Center in downtown San Diego.
Like those who will soon file through the doors, Mrs. P is homeless.
She spends her nights on the sidewalk directly across F Street from Rachel’s. It takes two trips and two signal cycles to bring her belongings.
In an epicenter of America’s homeless crisis, the streets are “swept” of living humans each morning – where homeless women go, and how they got here.
STEWARDING HOPE: KELLEY’S STORY
When I was asked to share my story with our community, I was really excited. I immediately knew where to begin. I am 14 years, 10 months and 14 days clean. I am a Housing and Resource Specialist at Catholic Charities’ Rachel’s Women’s Center and an activist for drug policy change. Today, I am paying it forward by helping those who come after me. I am proud of every step I’ve taken that has led me to where I am today. Yet, sharing how I got here terrified me. I would need to look back at who I was, how I showed up at Rachel’s Women’s Center on the most desperate day of my life. I wanted things to change, but that would mean I had to ask for help. I was scared no one would listen.
CREATING BETTER FUTURES FOR FAMILIES: NADIA’S STORY
My story is inspired by the search for a better life. It’s a story about creating a better future for my family—as well as being able to pay it forward to other families. But before I get ahead of myself, let’s go back to the beginning.
In 1998, trying to escape the prejudice and limitations my family faced in Russia, we set off for a new life in the United States. Not sure what to expect, I found myself in a new country, speaking a new language and living a completely different life than I was accustomed to. During my first few years in America, I struggled, struggled with the language, fitting in, trying to find a job that was the right fit for me.
THE HELP I NEEDED ALL ALONG: RUBEN’S STORY
Checking myself into a homeless shelter is one of the toughest decisions I ever made. It is facing your reality head-on, it is very emotional, especially as a man. You’re expected to always be strong. Always provide. Always figure it out. It didn’t matter. I had spent a week on the street. I had been cold, scared, hungry, humiliated and was desperate.
Catholic Charities took me as I was and listened to me. They showed compassion when I broke down and provided me with the strength to get up.
MERCIFUL FIRST IMPRESSIONS: ABDUL’S STORY
Turmoil. Conflict. Chaos. These are just a few words that come to mind when I was asked to share my story. My story begins 34 years ago, I lost 17 members of my family as a result of the Afghanistan crisis. People I loved and cared about were gone too soon, I didn’t have time to even process what I’d lost, I was fighting to stay alive. I knew I needed to escape my country.
I faced a long and hard journey ahead of me. I escaped to Pakistan and shortly after I fled to Hamburg, Germany. It was there where I finally saw a gleam of hope: Catholic Charities’ Refugee Services
FOSTER GRANDPARENTS CELEBRATE THEIR 46TH ANNUAL EVENT – A YEAR OF SUCCESS!
Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego’s (CCDSD) Foster Grandparent Program celebrated their 46th Annual Recognition Event on October 18, 2019 in the beautiful hall at St. Pius X Catholic Church. It was a lovely celebration filled with words of appreciation and gratitude for the Foster Grandparents and their service to our communities, children, and youth. The event was well attended by CCDSD administration and the programs 20 school sites.
CAMEROONIAN CLIENT GRANTED ASYLUM
Mr. Patrick Ajapmou was granted asylum on August 21, 2019 from Judge Ana Partida at Otay Mesa Detention Center, who ruled from the bench, after listening to compelling and gruesome testimony regarding Patrick’s physical and sexual abuse at the hands of prison guards on three separate periods of detention in his home country of Cameroon.
EMANISE, A HAITIAN-VENEZUELAN ASYLUM SEEKER
Imagine your first experience in America being in a new country and not trying to figure out where you will stay or where to get your items from baggage claim but sitting in a cold, unfriendly building waiting for a complete stranger to decide your family’s fate.
FAITH IN ACTION – CALLING FOR VOLUNTEERS!
Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego (CCDSD) celebrates its centennial year in 2020! CCDSD is an agency that has long served the basic needs of San Diego’s most vulnerable people, and each year continues to expand its reach. Over the next year, the agency plans to open 20 new food distribution locations in parishes throughout the Diocese of San Diego in hopes of bringing food to the people who need it most.
SARA AND A LITTLE HOPE
The meaning of the word “respite” has a deep personal significance for Sara, a woman who sought out refuge and safety at Catholic Charities women’s emergency shelter in Imperial County called House of Hope. This shelter, which serves as a respite from the streets to unattached women and single mothers, offers 24 beds (20 adult beds and 4 cribs) as well as references to employment, medical doctors, job training, counseling, and social services to women from all over Imperial County looking for shelter and above all hope.
A HOUSE OF HOPE CELEBRATION
The staff at House of Hope recently celebrated the 1st birthday of one of our adorable residents, Noah, with a Lion King themed party.
A LABOR OF LOVE & LITERATURE
Members of our Foster Grandparent program recently participated in the distribution of over 11,000 books for low-income children in our community.
MEETING THEM WHERE THEY ARE: THE NEW MODEL FOR FOOD ACCESS & DISTRIBUTION
Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego (CCDSD) is bringing more food to more people in need—not just in September during Hunger Action Month, but for the future of San Diego and Imperial Counties.
SAN DIEGO DEFENSIVE ASYLUM BOOTCAMP TRAINING
This full-day training will cover the substantive law and practical skills necessary to represent clients fearing return to their countries of origin in defensive removal proceedings. We will provide an overview of the U.S. immigration system and discuss the legal and procedural requirements for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture claims before an immigration judge.
LOOKING BACK, MOVING FORWARD
Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego enters its centennial year in 2020, a milestone perhaps more profoundly expressed in lives touched. Over the years, our agency has supported hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of underserved people in its mission to build communities of dignity and respect for all. We will view a snapshot of the local and regional impact of Catholic Charities—and our plans for the future.
WE ALL COUNT - HOMELESS IN SAN DIEGO
Officials say this year’s point-in-time count numbers reflect changes to the process made at the direction of federal officials. Meanwhile, a separate stat shows homelessness could be more than triple the number found in the count.
BEYOND THE BORDER : NEWS 8 SPECIAL
“I’m a U.S. citizen, born and raised in Alabama and Georgia,” said Caldwell, 40, during an interview from a Tijuana shelter, where he has been living with his family for the past month.
LA POSADA MEN'S HOMELESS SHELTER | OPEN HOUSE 2019
La Posada Men’s shelter opened in 1992 as a temporary shelter with 14 farm workers being assisted on the very first day.
#RETHINK YOUR DRINK DAY - EL CENTRO
Raise a glass of water to celebrate Rethink Your Drink Day!