For over fifty years Catholic Social Service agencies in Florida have been serving the poor. This service takes varying shapes and forms but the commitment of dedicated professionals assisting where there is human need is at the heart of Catholic social service. Theirs is a work of justice and compassion providing professional help to those who suffer, while respecting the dignity and worth of all human life. As a part of the Church reaching out to the entire community they are fulfilling Christ's mandate of service to mankind.

   The Bishops of Florida have each appointed a Director of Catholic Social Services for their respective diocese who serve on the Social Development Commission and have the responsibility for directing the activities of the agencies in their diocese. All of the agencies are staffed with qualified professionals licensed and accredited by professional service organizations. Agencies are licensed by the state and accredited by national organizations. They are also strengthened and united through membership in the National Conference of Catholic Charities.

   Local boards composed of laymen volunteer their time and energies to assist in policy decisions, long-range planning and financial matters. Most of these boards act in an advisory capacity but some function as trustees with broader decision making responsibilities. The full participation of the Catholic community is vital to the operation and growth of the social service agencies. Volunteers fulfill various roles from board member to assisting with service to clients. The local agencies reach out to serve the entire community. Services are available to anyone in need. In cooperation with other private and public agencies new programs are developed to meet the needs of the area. Funding for programs comes from a variety of sources, fees and donations, diocesanwide appeals, United Way, county, state and federal funding sources. Many agencies are developing new links with individual Catholic parishes by offering direct outreach services of consultation, training, information and referral and advocacy.

   During the past year the agencies provided assistance to over 200,000 people.

STATEWIDE SERVICES

   Some services are common to all of the Catholic Social Service agencies in Florida:

EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE -- food and clothing and limited financial assistance to those in need.
COUNSELING -- professional counseling for families, marriage, pre-marital, parent/child guidance, vocational and career adjustment, mental health, and substance abuse.
ADOPTION -- As licensed child placing agencies trained professionals assist in lacing children for adoption. Last year the agencies placed 308 children for adoption; of these 12 were children with special needs who might-otherwise have spent their remaining childhood in foster care.
PREGNANCY SERVICES -- All a4encies offer a full range of services to pregnant women, including professional counseling for the unwed mother, the father and other family members. Assistance includes planning for medical, financial and living arrangements. In cases where a teenage girl is pregnant and unable to live at home, the agency arranges for housing in private residences or maternity homes. All agencies offer foster care for infants awaiting adoption in licensed homes selected and supervised by the agency.
RESETTLEMENT SERVICES -- In cooperation with the U.S.C.C. Refugee Resettlement Office each diocese offers services to refugees. Many Catholic Social Service agencies have been directly involved in seeking sponsors, coordinating with governmental agencies and obtaining housing, medical care, transportation, job referrals, translation services, and counseling for Indochinese, Haitian and Cuban refugees. Since 1975 the agencies have assisted in resettling 10,000 Indochinese in Florida. During the past nine months they have met the tremendous challenge of resettling 23,750 new refugees in Florida.
SERVICES TO THE ELDERLY -- To meet the needs of the increasing elderly population agencies are expanding services to the aged. Most offer individual counseling and arrangement for a variety of support services.

   In addition to the common services listed, each diocese offers additional programs to meet the needs of their communities. The following directory lists the various offices and some of the services unique to each diocese.

DIOCESE OF ORLANDO

For Children -- Polk County hot lunch summer program for 6,000 children.
For the Elderly -- Meals on Wheels; congregate meals.
For Families -- Pre-marriage evaluations; sharing centers; travelers aide office serving Volusia County.

ARCHDIOCESE OF MIAMI

For Children -- Residential care for children; shelter care for runaways; day care centers.
For the Elderly -- Day care centers; nutrition programs; home health care; homemaker services; guardianship services; institutional care (hospitals, nursing homes, retirement homes); group home care; referral for hospice care.
For Families -- Family life education; drug and alcohol abuse rehabilitation centers; assistance with housing; referral for legal services; maternity homes; services for the mentally and physically disabled.
For Refugees -- Shelter care; medical care; group home care for children; immigration services; social services; assistance for sea and air travelers.
For the Community -- Social advocacy; manpower and economic development programs.
For Farmworkers -- Migrant ministry by Rural Life Bureau; day care centers; health and welfare programs.

DIOCESE OF PENSACOLA-TALLAHASSEE

For Children -- Residence for Indochinese children.
For the El erly -- Parish Outreach programs.
For Families -- Coordinate pre-Cana programs; outreach to the black community; counseling for divorced.
Refugee Resettlement -- Group home care for children; services to resettled families.

For Children -- In-school counseling.
Parish Outreach -- Technical assistance to groups working on community problems.
For Families -- Services of the Center for Life; programs for the disabled; referrals for immigration and naturalization services; group counseling for the divorces.

For Children -- Foreign adoptions; assisting with foster home care for chil ren or the Family Protection Team of All Children's Hospital.
For the Elderly -- Referrals to hospice and nursing home care.
For Families -- Family life education workshops; pre-marital evaluation; bi-lingual staff to serve the Cuban community.