By Kathi Stearns, Staff Writer

ATLANTA – The Campaign for Human Development (CHD), the domestic anti-poverty program of the Catholic Church, awarded $7.2 million in new grants on Sept. 7 to low-income groups working to end the conditions that cause poverty in the U.S.

This year’s grants range in size from the $80,000 awarded to a Texas group that will organize and train immigrant leaders to the $5,000 designed for a Michigan group that will study the feasibility of starting a child care facility.

The Atlanta Interfaith Sponsoring Committee (AISC) received a national grant of $35,000. This is the second year of funding for this project; in 1993 the committee received $30,000. The goal of AISC is to build a multi-racial, interfaith, self-determining broad-based community organization that can provide Atlanta’s low-income residents with a voice in the city-wide issues that affect their lives.

According to CHD officials, AISC hopes to do this through an extensive training and development process for clergy, lay and neighborhood leaders. The organization has held 1,500 individual and five large meetings averaging 200 participants, training sessions with groups of clergy who are to hold 175 house meetings and a three-week training course for 300 people.

Founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops in 1970, CHD is the nation’s largest funder of organizations controlled by low-income people. CHD’s mission is to address the root causes of poverty in America through support of community-controlled, self-help organizations and through transformative education. CHD promotes leadership, participation and empowerment in local communities. In its 24-year history, CHD has provided over $200 million in grants and loans to more than 3,000 self-help projects.

Father Joseph R. Hacala, SJ, executive director of CHD, met with the peace and justice committee of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, the board members of Catholic Social Services (CSS) and archdiocesan staff members of the Catholic Center on Oct. 14 to thank them for their support and to reiterate the importance of the campaign.

“We are grateful that Catholics continue to recognize the wisdom of CHD’s unique mission,” Father Hacala said. “To relieve the suffering of the poor is not enough. We must move beyond simple charity and work with the poor to help them better their own lives. Through its funding CHD offers the poor a future filled with hope, not handouts.”

Last year’s CHD collection reached $13 million, the largest amount in the campaign’s history. One quarter of that amount, approximately $3.3 million, is available through diocesan offices to support self-help initiatives on the local level. Under the direction of Pam Buckmaster, the Atlanta archdiocesan director of CHD, six applicants received local funding in April 1994.

They include: The Uprising Project, awarded $4,000, which provides support for homeless people to move back into society by sponsoring a communication center for job searches, training in business ownership skills and a garden project; Capitol Area Mosaic, awarded $2,187, which helps girls ages 11-16 to receive educational and social enrichment; Prison Ministries with Women, awarded $2,000, which gives female ex-offenders support in developing an office-service business with on-the-job training, work opportunities and self-employment; Project Adam Community Assistance Center, awarded $4,000, which operates a recovery residence and a transitional housing program to help individuals maintain sobriety and attain independent living; Clayton County Family Care, awarded $2,500, which provides emergency financial assistance to low-income and indigent families and St. Anne’s Perry Homes Support to Employee Project, Inc., awarded $3,500, which assists participants in removing barriers to employment through transportation, child care, substance abuse programs and communication with prospective employers.

In 1993 Catholics from the Archdiocese of Atlanta contributed $70,425 to the national CHD in addition to local monies for use among the poor in this area. In 24 years the total amount collected for CHD in the Atlanta Archdiocese is $1,095,299. Since its establishment in 1970 CHD has made 21 grants totaling $561,500 to projects in the archdiocese.

Grants, economic development and educational programs of CHD are funded by an annual collection to be held the weekend of Nov. 19 and 20.