Advocacy
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Our Legislative Priorities
For more than a century, the Catholic Charities community has advocated for just and fair policies that help vulnerable individuals and families reach their full potential. For a comprehensive overview of today’s most pressing needs, we invite you to review CCUSA’s Legislative Priorities for the 119th Congress.
- Disaster Relief and Climate Change
- Economic Security
- Food and Nutrition
- Housing and Homelessness
- Immigration and Refugee Policy
- Poverty and Racial Justice
- Protection of Human Life
- Religious Liberty
prevention and protection
Disaster Relief and Climate Change
As the official domestic disaster relief arm of the U.S. Catholic Church, CCUSA advocates for measures that help communities prevent and respond to disasters and that protect our common home.
uplifting communities
Economic Security
Poverty threatens not only the dignity of human life but family stability and the health of local communities. CCUSA urges lawmakers to promote policies that uplift vulnerable communities and bolster the common good.
a fundamental need
Food and Nutrition
As Catholic Charities agencies around the country operate specialized food programs for those in need, CCUSA supports a variety of policies that enhance food security among vulnerable populations.
individual dignity
Housing and Homelessness
Access to housing is a fundamental human right that promotes the life and dignity of every person. CCUSA urges lawmakers to support measures to combat our nation’s affordable housing crisis.
comprehensive reform
Immigration and Refugee Policy
Current U.S. immigration policies have long been unsustainable — for both American communities and vulnerable migrants — and CCUSA continues to call upon Congress to pursue meaningful, humane, bipartisan and comprehensive reforms of this broken system.
Reducing inequality
Poverty and Racial Justice
CCUSA and its member agencies work to alleviate and reduce the growing inequality in our society and advocate for policies that support this goal.
sanctity and dignity
Protection of Human Life
Our faith upholds the sanctity and dignity of all human life, from conception until natural death, and CCUSA encourages policymakers to support programs that do the same.
faith-based service
Religious Liberty
CCUSA supports policies and legislation that allow faith-based organizations that serve people in need to do so in a manner consistent with their moral and ethical convictions and best practices.
MAKe Your Voice Heard
Advocacy Basics
Learn the principles of legislative advocacy and how you can engage with elected officials on important issues.
Policy Resources
CCUSA’s Social Policy Team advocates for policies that uphold human dignity and promote integral human development, and our efforts are amplified when members of Congress hear from their constituents. Learn more here about the most pressing issues so you can take action and make your voice heard on behalf of the most vulnerable and marginalized members of society.
Prepared by our Social Policy Team, these one-page guides provide a helpful overview of critical policy positions and initiatives that align with CCUSA’s strategic priorities.
In 2020, CCUSA published an updated version of “Poverty and Racism: Overlapping Threats to the Common Good,” our influential 2006 policy paper that is even more relevant today.
“And They Shall Know Us by Our Love” is a comprehensive guide to the critical support Catholic Charities agencies provide vulnerable people on the move. It includes a robust FAQ section.
CCCONNECT
Resources for Agency Staff
Staff members at Catholic Charities agencies can find a more detailed legislative advocacy toolkit, an archive of helpful, historical resources and a discussion forum for social policy professionals on CCConnect.
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