Speeches at the opening of the Caritas Center

Catholic Charities’ long-awaited $53 million Santa Rosa homeless services hub, Caritas Center, opens – See the full story in The Press Democrat

Caritas Center will cement Catholic Charities, already the county’s dominant homeless outreach and shelter provider, as a regional leader in addressing homelessness. The organization wants to change how nonprofits engage with clients and raise the standard of care at Caritas, where they also hope to pilot different programs that officials hope reduces barriers to services.

“It’s an excellent example of the community collaboration required to bring a project of this scale to fruition,” said Kelli Kuykendall, Santa Rosa’s homeless services manager. “The design and programming will provide a new level of dignity and care for our homeless community members, as well as enhance the City’s efforts to address homelessness.”

Caritas Center was approved by the City Council in March 2020 and construction began in January 2021. It was largely funded by a $34 million capital campaign, tax credits and construction loans, with financing provided through Poppy Bank. Among the donors were the Sonoma County Vintners Foundation, St. Joseph Health and Kaiser Permanente, which each contributed $1 million.