Protecting Haitian Families by Replacing Unsafe Housing
Poor families in Haiti live in fear of storms. Cross Catholic Outreach is working to replace shanty houses too flimsy to stand up to the wind, rain and flooding with safe, durable homes.
Delivering food, shelter, and hope to the poorest of the poor
Safe Shelter for
Poor Families
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Build houses. Renew dignity.
Restore hope in communities.
Provide safe housing to poor families around the world
Build houses. Renew dignity. Restore hope in communities.
Provide safe housing to poor families around the world
Your generosity will empower our trusted Catholic ministry partners in developing countries around the world to provide safe homes for families that are either homeless or living in crumbling shacks. Donations to our General Housing Fund go toward building new houses, repairing existing ones, shipping construction materials and providing safe shelter in other critical ways. These donations also equip us to respond quickly when emergency housing situations arise.
In 2020, our donors funded construction for 235 houses and repairs for 77 houses. These efforts have given safe shelter to 2,177 people.
It only costs an average of $5,000 to build a simple, sturdy home for a family in need. This year, help Cross Catholic Outreach welcome more families home in the name of Christ!
Eldia Clervil is a devoted mother struggling to raise her seven children in Kobonal, Haiti. At night, her children fear the howling wind and driving rain within the feeble walls of their small shelter. Watch the video below to see the family's daily battles firsthand and hear Eldia's heartfelt prayer for her family.
HIGHLIGHTED PROJECT
Kobonal Haiti Mission
Beneficiaries work together to assist the construction crew and provide unskilled labor. This hands-on experience helps foster relationships and gives families a greater sense of ownership of their new homes.
With our support, the Kobonal Haiti Mission, builds four-room, storm-resistant houses for destitute families, complete with a cement foundation, a galvanized steel roof, lockable doors, solar light and a sanitary latrine.
Your contribution helps Kobonal Haiti Mission and other Cross Catholic Outreach ministry partners provide safe housing for some of the world’s most vulnerable families.
Restoring Dignity to Struggling Families
During storms, rain pours through Veronique’s walls and roof.
Veronique’s Story
With only two beds in their small shanty home, most of Veronique’s nine children sleep on rugs she places on the dirt floor. When it rains, the family faces terrible hardships. The mud walls of their house melt away and the floor turns into a miry puddle of muck. The children often have no choice but to endure the rest of the night in uncomfortable wooden chairs.
Feeling powerless to improve their family’s situation, Veronique and her husband persistently ask God to provide a better life for their sons and daughters. “My children are your children, Lord,” Veronique prays.
Working with Kobonal Haiti Mission and generous Catholics throughout the U.S., we can help answer these fervent prayers. Together, we can share God’s compassion with many families like Veronique’s and provide durable concrete homes that will forever change the outlook of their lives.
Impact of a New, Safe House
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A solid roof protects from storms, water damage and sun exposure.
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Sturdy walls provide security and protect from outside predators and vermin.
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A concrete foundation makes a house more durable and also improves health, hygiene and cleanliness.
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A lockable door provides protection from intruders. People are able to sleep peacefully knowing they are safe and secure.
A safe place to live releases families from the struggle to survive and puts them in an environment where they can better their lives!
More Than Safe Shelter
Cross Catholic Outreach’s mission to provide safe shelter for struggling families includes building new houses, but it addresses this serious need in other ways as well. The program also funds necessary repairs, ships construction materials and helps provide sanctuary for families in unsafe situations. When you support this outreach, you are empowering a flexible and well-rounded effort to strengthen those in need and set them on the path to greater self-sufficiency.
Donations to our General Housing Fund help support projects like:
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- Installing safe kitchens for families in Nicaragua who suffer from smoke inhalation.
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- Providing safe housing for young women attending college in Guyana.
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- Providing shelter for women fleeing domestic abuse in Guatemala.
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- Repairing existing houses in Haiti, Belize, Grenada and Ethiopia.
Give Now
Lay a Foundation of Grace
By giving families safe places to live, you provide them with a priceless sense of peace, dignity and stability that will bless their lives for many years to come. Donate now to shelter those in need, and give them a concrete reminder of God’s unwavering grace.
Safe Housing Resources
Around the world, poor families struggle to find safe housing. A tragic number of families either live in destitute conditions or are homeless. Learn more about the problem in Haiti in the stories below.
Responding to the Housing Crisis in Haiti
The entire country of Haiti seems to be in a perpetual state of construction. Even homes seem to be in a perpetual state of being built or rebuilt.
3 Ministries That Are Impacting Lives in Haiti
While it sometimes feels as though the scope of poverty in Haiti is insurmountable, the truth is that positive changes can be achieved.
The Power of Monthly Giving
Our Catholic ministry partners are eager to serve needy families, and your monthly donations will guarantee they can launch these missions and maintain their merciful services to the poor month by month and year after year. Become a monthly mission partner to ensure that hardworking dioceses, parishes and ministries are constantly equipped with the resources they need to provide safe shelter. In the face of emergencies such as natural disasters, our partners can act quickly and effectively because of generous monthly donors.
You Are in Our Prayers
Cross Catholic Outreach’s staff prays daily for friends of the ministry. Click below to submit your specific prayer intentions.
Answer the Call
Learn how you can engage in projects serving the poor and their communities around the world.
Cross Catholic Outreach
Our mission is to mobilize the global Catholic Church to transform the poor and their communities materially and spiritually for the glory of Jesus Christ. Your gift empowers us to serve the poorest of the poor by channeling life-changing aid through an international network of dioceses, parishes and Catholic missionaries. This cost-effective approach helps break the cycle of poverty and advance Catholic evangelization.
Proceeds from this campaign will be used to cover any expenditures incurred through June 30, 2021, the close of our ministry’s new fiscal year. In the event that more funds are raised than needed to fully fund the project, the excess funds, if any, will be used to meet the most urgent needs of the ministry.
