MEDIA ADVISORY – March 22, 2018
Contact: Rowena Daly (RENA), Catholic Charities                
rdaly@cc-md.org CELL-646-263-6384
TOMORROW – Ben Carson, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Tours Catholic Charities’ Sarah’s House  Shelter for Families Experiencing Homelessness on Ft. Meade Army Base in Anne Arundel County
WHAT: Ben Carson, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, tours Catholic Charities Sarah’s House – emergency and supportive shelter in Anne Arundel County for families experiencing poverty and homelessness.
Mr. Carson will tour the property, which sets itself apart as one of the few shelters located on an Army base and welcoming families. The Secretary will visit the day care, view emergency shelter rooms and supportive housing apartments. Following the tour, he will lead a round table discussion with three Sarah House clients, the Director and Assistant Director of Sarah’s House, the Army Base Commander and Anne Arundel housing representatives.
WHEN: Friday, March 23, 2018 from 2 pm- 2:50 pm
WHERE: Sarah’s House, 2015 20th St, Fort Meade, MD 20755
WHO:    Ben Carson, Housing Urban Development Secretary; Sarah’s House – Catholic Charities,  Kathryn Philliben, Director of Sarah’s House;  Kelly Anderson, Manager of Client Services for Sarah’s House; Tiffany Miller, Resident;  Eugene Terry, Resident and Kianna Harris, Former Resident. Fort George G. Meade Army Base – Colonel Thomas Rickard, Commander; Anne Arundel County Representatives – Kathleen Koch, Executive Director of Arundel Community Development Services
Background: In 1987, Sarah’s House, a program of Catholic Charities opened to provide emergency and supportive housing to families experiencing homelessness. Sarah’s House is managed through a partnership between Fort Meade, the Anne Arundel County Department of Social Services and Catholic Charities.
·        Sarah’s House works to keep families together. It’s one of the few shelters that admit men
·        Offers a licensed child care center which opened in 1992
·        SH offers emergency shelter and transitional housing for up to 125 guests every day.
·        Guests receive case management, employment, substance abuse counseling, licensed child care, after-school programs, transportation assistance, parenting classes, mental health counseling, computer and financial literacy training, GED classes. Since 1987, SH has provided shelter and supportive services to more than 16,000 guests, served more than 1.7 million meals and helped 3,000 families find permanent housing. During the past three decades, 27,000 volunteers have worked with Sarah’s House to improve the lives of people in need.
About Catholic Charities of Baltimore – Catholic Charities of Maryland, based in Baltimore, is the largest private provider of human services in the state. Our organization offers assistance to children and families, people living in poverty, individuals with intellectual disabilities, immigrants and seniors without regard to religion, race or other circumstances.
 
Inspired by the Gospel mandates to love, serve and teach, the more than 80 programs of Catholic Charities improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of Marylanders each year. Catholic Charities continues a legacy of charity and compassion that began with the establishment of the Catholic Church in Baltimore in 1792. For more information, please visit cc-md.org.
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