IN THE NEWS
San Diego shelter helps man after sudden death of Navy daughter
May 09, 2023 ABC 10
SAN DIEGO — …“The people here overwhelm me with their kindness and their help. I mean, they’d bend over backwards to help me. ”That help includes 100 beds and full wrap-around services for men, including all meals, laundry, counseling and case management. La Posada is part of Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego. CEO Vino Pajanor says George represents what most of the men here have faced. “What George shows to us today is that something happened in their life at some point in time, and that triggered events that led them to be unhoused,” says Vino.
Ways You Can Help Asylum Seekers at San Diego Border
May 12, 2023 NBC 7
SAN DIEGO — …”We have about 1,500 beds per night in the three shelters that we operate and run,” said Vino Pajanor, CEO of Catholic Charities of San Diego (CCSD). Over the years, CCSD has helped almost 200,000 asylum seekers through the process by offering them food, clothing, and a place to stay. Pajanor said the majority of asylum seekers are at their shelter for less than two days.
Local charities preparing for increase in migrants needing shelter
May 11, 2023 FOX 5 San Diego
SAN DIEGO — As thousands of migrants are anticipated to cross the Southern Border nationwide now that Title 42 has expired, a local service provider, Catholic Charities, is doing everything it can to be prepared.
US border cities prepare for migrant influx as Title 42 ends
May 11, 2023 The Christian Science Monitor
SAN DIEGO — …“Almost everybody covers their own travel,” says Ralph Enriquez, director of refugee and immigrant services at Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego on a recent shelter tour. Assuming that migrants don’t have points of contact in the U.S. or financial arrangements to cover their own travel, he says, is “a big mis-narrative.”…Meanwhile, the cycle of shelter residents, the paperwork and planes, continues. A few migrants walk past Mr. Enriquez on the tour, headed toward the departure area. Children clutch a bag of chips in one hand, waving goodbye with the other.
San Diego community converging to assist asylum seekers at San Diego-Tijuana border
May 11, 2023 The San Diego Union Tribune
SAN DIEGO — …This month alone, Catholic Charities has provided shelter to nearly 4,500 asylum seekers as they work to help them travel on to their final destinations around the country. These migrants have been processed and are either dropped off by Border Patrol or the Department of Homeland Security.
With Title 42 expiring, experts explain how asylum process works
May 10, 2023 KPBS Public Media
SAN DIEGO — Starting Thursday people seeking asylum in the United States will start their journey to try to stay here permanently. KPBS reporter Kitty Alvarado spoke with experts on how the process works.
Local groups bracing for surge in migrants
May 05, 2023 ABC 10 News
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — A non-profit that gives temporary refuge to migrants who’ve been released from federal custody after being deemed to have legitimate asylum cases is preparing for a potential surge in people at its shelters next week. “We are prepared. We have gotten more diapers at our shelters now. We have gotten more food like cup of noodles,” said Catholic Charities CEO Vino Pajanor.
San Diego charities prepare for possible influx of migrants
May 04, 2023 CBS 8
SAN DIEGO — …”We want to ensure those individuals have a place to go,” said Vino Pajanor, CEO of Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego. Catholic Charities is one of several local non-profits preparing for a possible influx.
Pajanor says they’ve added staff and have been buying extra supplies such as toiletries, diapers and blankets. But, they’re limited on how many migrants they can help. Catholic Charities runs three shelters in San Diego and Imperial Counties, with a combined capacity of 1,500 people a day.
Opinion: A north San Diego County men’s shelter showed me the resilience of the homeless population
April 21, 2023 The San Diego Union Tribune
CARLSBAD — La Posada de Guadalupe, a shelter for homeless men and seasonal farm workers, is 1.6 miles from my home in Carlsbad. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, it was an annual tradition for me to take my kids and drop off items like clothing, shoes and toiletries at this men’s shelter. During these short visits, I never invested the time to speak with the staff or residents and to truly comprehend what was being accomplished there.
Arrival in the U.S. Is Emotional for Refugees
March 9, 2023 Channel 10 News
San Diego- Channel 10 speaks with CEO of Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego, Vino Pajanor. He describes how arrival in the United States is emotional for refugees. He also talks about the services CCDSD offers to refugees.
Catholic Charities Day Center opens doors for the unhoused in Imperial County
February 23, 2023 Imperial Valley Press
EL CENTRO — The Catholic Charities Day Center is a newly opened facility in Imperial County for unhoused community members, offering a place to meet basic needs during the day and access resources necessary to overcome barriers. Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego (CCDSD) CEO Appaswamy “Vino” Pajanor said this is the first shelter of its kind for the unsheltered community in Imperial Valley.
Carlsbad Approves $2M grant for Homeless Shelter Expansion
February 8, 2023 The Coast News Group
CARLSBAD — The La Posada de Guadalupe homeless shelter in Carlsbad was approved for $2 million in “seed investment” as the facility prepares for a major upgrade. The Carlsbad City Council approved two agreements — one with San Diego County and the shelter — during its Feb. 7 meeting. The city will give the funds to the currently men-only shelter so it can begin a feasibility study and design concepts to add 35 to 50 beds for women and families, according to Catholic Charities CEO Appaswamy “Vino” Pajanor.
An inside look at a local Catholic Charities Testing Vaccination Resource Center for Migrants
January 29, 2023 Imperial Valley Press
HOLTVILLE — While asylum seekers and refugees are in contact with their sponsors in the United States, they may attend the Catholic Charities Testing Vaccination Resource Center, where they receive temporary housing, clothing, hygiene supplies, food, snacks, phones or chargers to continue to reach their final destinations in other parts of the U.S.
Ralph Enriquez, Director of Refugee and Immigrant Services at Catholic Charities, said in an interview on Monday, January 23 that the name defines the components of the operation and includes temporary respite, explaining what a explain a Testing Vaccination Resource Center (TVRC) is and does.
Carlsbad Homeless Shelter Expanding to Include Women and Children
December 19, 2022 NBC 7
The homeless crisis is an Issue not only in the city of San Diego, but other communities within the county. Last week, the city of Carlsbad was awarded a $2 million grant to help expand its only homeless shelter.Carlsbad had the fourth-highest unsheltered homeless population in North County at the time of the last Point-In-Time (PIT) count, San Diego County’s annual homeless census. In 2022’s PIT count, Carlsbad had 75 unsheltered individuals and North County had 787.
North County Report: Historically Men-Only Shelter Will Expand to Accept Women and Children
December 14, 2022 Voice of San Diego
After a day’s work as a public attendant at a hotel in North County, 58-year-old Michael Weidekemper rides his bike home to La Posada de Guadalupe, a homeless shelter in Carlsbad. He was previously living on the streets but has been staying at La Posada for almost four months, he told me on a recent visit to the shelter. Despite having a job, he hasn’t been able to move into a place on his own – he just can’t afford it, he said, adding that he feels lucky to have a home at La Posada.
District Attorney encourages immigrants, refugees to report crime, says legal status won’t be reported
December 5, 2022 San Diego Union-Tribune
SAN DIEGO — …As part of the new outreach, the District Attorney’s Office has printed cards in English, Spanish, Farsi and Ukrainian to encourage refugees and immigrants to report crimes when they are victims or witnesses. Catholic Charities is among the organizations distributing the cards. There are also new videos in English and Spanish featuring District Attorney Summer Stephan and Cardinal Robert McElroy, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego.
Community Foundation holds tenth National Philanthropy Day Awards
November 16, 2022 Imperial Valley Press
Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego was awarded Organization of Impact (Special Non-profit Achievement), during the IVCF 10th Annual National Philanthropy Day Awards Celebration, November 15, at the Old Eucalyptus School house in El Centro.
Rachel’s Promise, Shelter for Women Opens in East Village
July 21, 2022 Times of San Diego
The city of San Diego Thursday opened its newest shelter for those who lack shelter0 a 40-bed capacity in the East Village with a focus on women suffering from serious medical conditions.
Mayor Todd Gloria helped open the shelter, Rachel’s Promise, a collaboration between the city’s Homelessness Strategies and Solutions Department and the San Diego Housing Commission.
It will operate under a SDHC contract with Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego and will offer housing assistance, meals, laundry facilities, showers, mail and telephone services and clothing.
Mayor Gloria opens new homeless shelter for women in downtown San Diego
July 21, 2022 CBS 8
SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — As part of his consistent and continued efforts to create more shelter beds to get people experiencing homelessness off the streets, Mayor Todd Gloria on Thursday announced the opening of the city’s newest shelter.
It’s called Rachel’s Promise, the downtown shelter will serve up to 40 women with medical needs.
Rachel’s Promise is a collaborative effort between the City’s Homelessness Strategies and Solutions Department and the San Diego Housing Commission. It is operated under contract with the Housing Commission by the Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego.
Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego, CEO Receives Exemplary Service Award
June 25, 2021 The Southern Cross
SAN DIEGO — The Knights of Columbus San Diego Chapter on June 19 presented its 2021 Exemplary Service Award to Appaswamy “Vino” Pajanor, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of San Diego.
The award recognized Pajanor’s service to the diocese during the COVID pandemic, which included the creation of Catholic Charities’ Emergency Food Distribution Network. The network provided millions of meals to people in need throughout San Diego and Imperial counties.