Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan says federal grants supported legal help for migrants, Monroe substance abuse clinic
DETROIT — Programs assisting vulnerable migrants, refugees and individuals struggling with substance abuse are facing cessation or reduction following the recent loss of significant funding from federal grants or contracts, Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan confirmed.
Decisions by the federal government have led to a loss of funding nationwide for programs related to children's services and refugee resettlement — among other areas — including those administered by Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan, said Paul Propson, CEO of Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan, in a recent memo circulated among CCSEM's board of trustees.
On April 7, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops informed Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan and its other partners nationwide that its federal contracts related to refugee resettlement would not be renewed.
Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, said at the time the situation was “heartbreaking” for all involved, particularly families and individuals “fleeing war, violence and oppression.”
“This difficult decision follows the suspension by the government of our cooperative agreements to resettle refugees," Archbishop Broglio wrote in an op/ed in The Washington Post. "The decision to reduce these programs drastically forces us to reconsider the best way to serve the needs of our brothers and sisters seeking safe harbor from violence and persecution.”
As a result, Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan will lose $130,000 in annual funding, which it had used last year to provide critical services to refugees and immigrants from Afghanistan, Ukraine, Iraq, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, including legal aid, housing referrals and community support at its La Casa Amiga Center in Pontiac.
"As the charitable arm of the Archdiocese of Detroit, Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan (CCSEM) is called to serve those on the margins — with compassion, dignity, and an unwavering commitment to family and life," Propson said in an email to Detroit Catholic.
With the funding loss, "CCSEM’s ability to serve these refugee families is significantly reduced," Propson said. "In particular, the legal assistance which CCSEM attorneys were able to offer to help recently resettled refugees remain in the United States and reunite with their families separated across continents was affected by this most recent cut."
The bulk of La Casa Amiga's assistance came in the form of its legal clinic, which worked on immigration consultations, citizenship applications, green card applications and renewals, DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), family-based visa petitions, employment authorization applications and renewals, and consular processing for cases abroad.
For half a century, Catholic Charities across the nation have been agents in refugee resettlement, inspired by the example of St. Frances Cabrini, Archbishop Broglio wrote in The Washington Post. Each refugee assisted by Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan and other Catholic agencies across the nation had undergone federal vetting and approval before arriving in the United States.
“The participants accepted into our refugee programs for resettlement underwent rigorous screening, as well as vetting by the government, before their arrival on American soil,” Archbishop Broglio said. “These individuals, who saw our nation as a place of dreams and hope, were welcomed by both faith-based and secular nongovernmental programs and provided with support as they settled into their new lives.”
Other local programs impacted
Separate federal cuts also eliminated a contract to provide legal assistance to unaccompanied minors, as well as a multi-year grant to provide citizenship classes, which Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan had just received last fall, Propson said.
The termination of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Citizenship Grant resulted in the loss of $398,000 for a program that would have helped immigrants seeking a legal path to citizenship.
"CCSEM’s La Casa Amiga Legal Clinic was able to complete its work for unaccompanied minors in March, but the cuts to the citizenship program will prevent CCSEM from getting that new program off the ground," Propson said. "While the legal clinic was able to assist 271 clients in 2024, that number will likely decrease this year due to the most recent cuts."
Cuts stemming from the new Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E.) are also impacting the St. Joseph Center of Hope, which opened in November 2018 as an addiction crisis clinic and has since then grown to be the first 24/7 crisis intervention center in Monroe County, serving as an emergency center for those battling addiction.
As of April 13, 2025, the St. Joseph Center of Hope has seen a total of 8,087 individuals for detoxification, admission for treatment, client referrals to Monroe Access for treatment referral or other community initiatives. Since the founding of the St. Joseph Center of Hope, opioid overdose deaths have decreased in Monroe County by 50 percent.
The St. Joseph Center of Hope, a ministry of Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan, received about $600,000 in grant funding from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services for the fiscal year 2025. However, the newly created D.O.G.E. — a cross-departmental organization that exists outside the federal cabinet — recently announced $12 billion in cuts in federal health grants to the states, including $379 million in grants for Michigan.
One of those grants funded the St. Joseph Center of Hope’s operations, which in 2024 served more than 900 Monroe County residents experiencing a crisis addiction episode.
With the announcement of the cuts, the center is at risk of closure, Propson said, adding Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan "is working with community leaders in Monroe to find a way to keep the doors open for the remainder of 2025 and beyond."
Seeking a path forward
Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan and Catholic Charities affiliates across the country have long worked with state and federal officials in funding programs and initiatives to better people’s lives, not only as a means of serving the Gospel message, but to improve the quality of life for citizens and residents in the state, Propson said.
Most of CCSEM’s funding relies on the generosity of individuals, parishes, businesses and foundations who share in the mission of the Church, but the organization also looks to government funding to boost projects and efforts in line with the Church’s mission.
“When opportunities arise for government partnership that align with our Catholic values, we prayerfully consider them to serve even more of our brothers and sisters in need,” Propson said. “Grants can make transformative work possible — such as building housing for the chronically homeless or expanding access to recovery services — work that often couldn’t be accomplished through private giving alone.”
In spite of the recent cutbacks, Propson said Catholic Charities’ mission will continue, but the cut in funding will impact the work of the organization and the people it serves.
“Behind every lost grant is a real human story — a child without a family, a refugee starting over, a person in recovery fighting for their life. We cannot — and will not — turn our backs,” Propson said.
Propson said he’s heartened by the “steadfast support of the Archdiocese of Detroit, our local parishes, and generous donors,” as well as a network of staff, volunteers and community partners who continue to support the agency and its work, which is “rooted in the Gospel and the works of mercy, which call us to serve Christ in those most in need.”
“Despite these challenges, Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan remains open, active, and deeply rooted in faith,” Propson said. “While some Catholic Charities agencies nationwide have been forced to close their doors, we stand firm in the mission. We are built on a foundation that endures.”
Support Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan
Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan asks individuals and families to pray for its staff and clients impacted by these changes. To help Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan sustain its vital programs and expand its outreach, prayerfully consider supporting its work.
To learn more about Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan's ministries, visit www.ccsem.org/get-involved.
