With fewer migrants arriving in South Texas, Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley (CCRGV) has shifted its focus from migrant assistance to serving the region’s growing homeless population.
Since 2014, CCRGV has operated a humanitarian respite center in downtown McAllen, originally created in response to an influx of immigrants dropped off by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, myRGV.com reported. At the height of border crossings, migrants arriving at the McAllen bus station received warm meals, showers, and clean clothes from the organization.
Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of CCRGV, said that about 25% of the nonprofit’s services since its founding have gone to immigrants and refugees.
However, with federal enforcement increasing locally, fewer migrants are arriving in the Valley. Instead of shuttering the center, CCRGV now serves people experiencing homelessness.
Sr. Pimentel said the shift in focus is a natural extension of Catholic Charities’ core mission.
“Our responsibility as Catholic Charities is to be present in the community where they’re the most vulnerable,” she told myRGV.com. “We respond to needs as they surface within our community.”
CCRGV also works to prevent homelessness by offering rent and utility assistance to struggling families and by supporting disaster recovery efforts that help keep vulnerable residents from losing their homes.
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