Project CATCH Helps About 350 Homeless Children in First Year
Children and teens make up approximately 25 percent of homeless people in Wake County, according to a count done in 2008. Project CATCH (Community Action Targeting Children who are Homeless), a collaborative effort led by Salvation Army of Wake County, the Young Child Mental Health Collaborative and Wake County SmartStart, is working to track and address the unmet needs of children in homeless shelters.
Since homeless families tend to move around, tracking a child's physical and emotional health needs can be complicated. Project CATCH, which is funded by a grant from the John Rex Endowment, is working with 11 different shelters to screen children, refer them for services and provide support for parents. Approximately 350 children have been helped in the first year of the project. Read more in an article published by The News & Observer.