We are a Symbol of Hope
Catholic Social Services has served Portsmouth since 1957. For most of our history, we operated a small center that provided a combination of emergency assistance and family strengthening group therapy. In October 2014, Catholic Social Services saw an opportunity to provide a much greater service to this struggling but promising community.
With the help of the Most Reverend Bishop Frederick Campbell and the parishes in the county, we opened the doors to a vacated monastery and transformed it into a community center called the St. Francis Center.
The Center provides easy and effective referrals to other community resources when needed. Having all our efforts at the center enables the ministries to engage volunteers more easily in several efforts like the food pantry and hot meal program, the annual Christmas presents drive, and the gift store and clothing closet. In our first year, the collaborative partners illustrated the power of synergy by increasing services by 54% to serve over 5,000 people.
What We Do:
The St. Francis Center serves Scioto County as a one-stop community center providing families access to a wide variety of services from Catholic Social Services and its key partners. The community has the heart and hope for a brighter future, and the St. Francis Center is in the middle of it, providing emergency assistance for today and inspiration for tomorrow.
What We Offer:
- Family strengthening classes and group therapy
- Emergency assistance
- Food pantry
- Soup kitchen: Open Wednesday, 11:30am-1:00pm
- Clothing assistance: Open Friday & Saturday, 9:00am-12:00pm
How to Access Services:
For more information, please call Herman Patrick at (740) 961-4020 or [email protected].
IMPACT IN ACTION
In 2019, we served 122,949 meals and provided emergency assistance to 225 people.
Client Story
By the age of twenty-two, Brian had already been in and out of jail with a history of drug abuse. He was separated from his wife, who also had a history of drug abuse, and he was unable to support his two young boys. Brian knew he had to start making changes for his family after his youngest son was born addicted to heroin, so he went to rehab and successfully completed his program. But after rehab, he realized that this was not enough to put him on the path he needed to be on – the path to a stable job and secure home. With his children in the custody of Children’s Services, Brian decided that he had to make some drastic changes to get his family back. He sought help at Catholic Social Services’ St. Francis Catholic Outreach Center for anger management and parent education classes.
Brian worked tirelessly to turn his life around and to become the parent that his sons needed, and he succeeded because of the skills and encouragement given to him by Catholic Social Services. Today, Brian has a steady job and was recently awarded custody of his children. He is determined to make a better life for himself and his sons, and to give them the stable, happy life that all three of them deserve. Brian says that he has learned how to walk away from bad situations, and he can stop and think about the consequences of his actions before reacting. He knows his children need a sober, loving parent to care for them, and he is committed to being that person.
Client Story
By the age of twenty-two, Brian had already been in and out of jail with a history of drug abuse. He was separated from his wife, who also had a history of drug abuse, and he was unable to support his two young boys. Brian knew he had to start making changes for his family after his youngest son was born addicted to heroin, so he went to rehab and successfully completed his program. But after rehab, he realized that this was not enough to put him on the path he needed to be on – the path to a stable job and secure home. With his children in the custody of Children’s Services, Brian decided that he had to make some drastic changes to get his family back.
Our Partners
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“To live charitably means not looking out for our own interests, but carrying the burdens of the weakest and poorest among us.” – Pope Francis
Locations
COLUMBUS
197 E. Gay Street
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 221-5891
WEST COLUMBUS
Our Lady of Guadalupe Center
409 Industry Drive
Columbus, OH 43204
(614) 340-7061
NEWARK
1031 Brice Street
Newark, OH 43055
(740) 345-2565
PORTSMOUTH
St. Francis Catholic Outreach Center
2311 Stockham Lane
Portsmouth, OH 45662
(740) 961-4020
ZANESVILLE
422 Main Street, Ste 400
P.O. Box 3446
Zanesville, OH 43702-3446
(740) 452-5057