Our Services

• Adoption Services
• Community Advocacy
• Emergency Services
• Healing and Growth Ministry
  • Divorced, Separated and Widowed Group
  • Healing and Growth Workshop
  • Rainbow Program
• Immigration and Naturalization
• Maternity Counseling
• Partners in Success
• Personal Counseling
• Respite Care

Adoption Services

We are a licensed child-placing agency responsive to those directly involved in the adoption process. This includes birth mothers, adoptive families, and children who have been adopted. We also offer home studies for families working with us or outside agencies who are looking to adopt a child.

Community Advocacy

We regularly work with other agencies and church groups to advocate for justice, human dignity, and quality of life, for those less fortunate in our community.

Emergency Services

Emergency assistance to individuals and families in times of crisis by providing: food from on-site food-pantry, help with payment of utilities, rent, and medications. Gas vouchers are also available for medical appointments or job interviews. Volunteers are always needed to help in this area. The High Springs office also maintains a clothes closet, and they also provide household items to burnout victims and bagged lunches to transients (this service is run through the local police department). This office also runs a commodity program, which is a bi-monthly federal program. On the third Thursday of every month the Alachua County Veterans Administration can be found at this office. During the holidays all offices provide various holiday services for example food baskets and gifts for needy families.

Healing and Growth Ministry

This program provides support and assistance to those suffering the loss of a spouse or partner. We also participate in the Rainbow Program, a program for children and adolescents, grieving over the loss of a parent through death, divorce, separation or abandonment. For those suffering the loss of a spouse or partner, there are the following avenues of support available:

• Divorced, Separated and Widowed Group
  The purpose of this group is to provide help in getting through the original pain and confusion that comes with the loss. The group meets twice monthly during the school year.
• Healing and Growth Workshop
  This workshop concept is presented at two levels. Level I is a series of nine weekly meetings offered in the spring and fall. Level II is designed for those who have recovered from the original trauma and now are interested in furthering their personal growth process.
• Rainbow Program
  This program is available to children and adolescents to help them work through the pain of separation or divorce. Groups are formed according to age and meet during the spring and fall. Participants learn to recognize good or bad feelings and how to deal with anger regarding the loss or division from another.

Immigration and Naturalization

This program offers assistance to immigrants in filling out forms and dealing with problems related to regularizing their status. The Gainesville office works in conjuction with the Catholic Charities Legalization office in Jacksonville to help people locally with Immigration issues.

Maternity Counseling

Women who are pregnant, scared, and/or confused are helped to make what they feel are the best decisions concerning what they will do. We counsel, exploring alternatives to help pregnant women make informed decisions with which they can feel comfortable. We provide support, developing a plan based on the individual needs designed to meet each unique situation. We refer, directing women to other individuals and/or agencies who can help with the pregnancy.

Partners in Success

Our agency works in collaboration with the Head Start Program to assist families in need who are working hard to better the quality of life for themselves and their children. This program provides scholarships for families to go back to school or get ahead in other ways to improve their financial situation long term.

Personal Counseling

Private counseling is offered on a sliding scale to families, married couples, and individuals. A licensed trained counselor helps deal with individual, marital, or family adjustment issues in a confidential setting.

Respite Care

Respite, "an interval of rest or relief", offers care giving families the opportunity to leave their disabled and/or elderly loved one for a short period of time with a trained volunteer. The volunteer offers relief by visiting the home on a regularly scheduled basis giving the care giver some personal time to run errands or have a brief rest from their daily routine. Persons in need of Respite Services or anyone interested in becoming a Respite Volunteer should contact the Gainesville office.