By Jacqueline Gilvard Landry
Voice correspondent

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development in September awarded $156,000 in grants to 10 organizations in the East Bay for housing, immigration and other programs aimed at overcoming poverty.

CCHD, a program of the U.S. Catholic bishops with operations in each diocese, annually awards 300 national grants and hundreds of other local grants for anti-poverty efforts.

Four Alameda and Contra Costa county non-profit agencies received national grants.
Congregations Organizing for Renewal, serving southern Alameda County, received $35,000 to focus on housing, education, violence prevention and job apprenticeships.

Another $35,000 went to La Lucha Unida del Journalera, which is working to repeal Oakland’s ordinance against solicitation by day laborers, advocate for immigrant workers, and train day laborers.

Genesis received $30,000 to hire a community organizer to help shape housing, transportation and education policies in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.
CCHD also awarded $30,000 to Oakland Community Organizations to register voters, train leaders and involve Oakland residents in the political process.

Six agencies received local grants, including $5,000 each to Asian Pacific Environmental Network for its Laotian Leadership Project to fight racism, and to Filipinos for Affirmative Action for its Low-Income Workers Support and Organizing Project.

St. Mary’s Center received $5,000 for its Senior Advocates for Hope and Justice program, targeting Oakland’s low-income seniors, families and pre-schoolers.

United Seniors of Oakland and Alameda County’s Eden Area Leadership Development program received $5,000 for a community center, and the Diocese of Oakland Latino Ministry received $3,000 for its La Comunidad en Accion violence-prevention program.

St. Martin de Porres School in Oakland received $3,000 for Las Madres de San Martin de Porres, a cooperative business formed by low-income mothers.

CCHD grants are funded by a yearly collection in U.S. Catholic parishes, with 75 percent of the collection going to national awards and 25 percent retained by the dioceses for local grants.

Funded projects must benefit a poverty group with at least 50 percent of the beneficiaries coming from a low-income community. Members of the poverty group must have a dominant voice in the organization’s board of directors.

This year’s collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development takes place in parishes on Nov. 23.

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