Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan (CCSEM) is ready to provide supportive services to Marygrove College in Detroit, which today announced its commitment to offer shelter, sustenance, and education to children and youth arriving in the United States from Central America.

Through its Hispanic Outreach Services, CCSEM staff and volunteers provide English language tutoring, GED classes, and legal aid. Because many of the youth arriving in the United States have experienced trauma, CCSEM will offer therapeutic counseling services. CCSEM also operates an Immigration and Refugee Resettlement program, which annually supports hundreds of refugees newly arriving in Michigan.

“We have discussed this direct collaboration in our areas of expertise with Marygrove, and through the CCSEM Crisis Navigator program, we can quickly engage other human service agencies in the region to acquire additional resources,” said Jason Shanks, CEO of CCSEM. “We have extensive experience in facilitating foster care and semi-independent living which may be of further help in providing age-appropriate supervision and care.”

Background on CCSEM programs and services offered in support of the Marygrove College initiative:

• Immigration and Refugee Resettlement: Last year CCSEM assisted more than 800 refugees, mainly Chaldeans from Iraq, to resettle in America.
• Hispanic Outreach Services: CCSEM provides tutoring, mentoring, and citizenship classes to help the region’s growing Hispanic community to more fully participate in and contribute to society.
• Behavioral Health: Licensed, master’s degree-level therapists help individuals and families manage challenges from depression, anxiety and substance abuse to grief, and post-traumatic stress. Last year, CCSEM provided therapy to more than 3,700 people.
• Foster Care: CCSEM has more than 60 children currently placed in foster care. CCSEM also has more than 25 young adults who have aged-out of foster care enrolled in a supervised independent living program.

Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan annually provides care and comfort to more than 15,000 people in six counties as the Archdiocese of Detroit’s charitable service provider.