Community Partnership

Family strengthening centers will be local.  While Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri will have a single Board of Directors and a centralized administrative core, each regional strengthening center will utilize a local advisory committee.  This local group will identify the kinds of services that will have the maximum impact on their community. 

Family strengthening is about community partnership.  In recent years much talk in the area of organizational development has focused on the “silo effect.”  Within a large organization one unit (or silo) may exist as an independent silo and not be in communication with other units (silos) located right next door.  Applying this concept to social services, agencies can work as independent and isolated organizations.  They are not involved with other agencies within the community that also offer similar or supportive services.  Especially in the rural parts of our diocese, our Catholic parishes have forged very strong relationships with other agencies and with other churches.  Much of their charity work is done through community organizations and ministerial alliances.  Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri wants to continue this strong commitment to community cooperation.