Episode 46: Building Hope and Community: Catholic Charities’ Mission in Action

In this August 13, 2025 episode of Collaborative Solutions, hosted by Barry Feaker and guest co-host Brett Hartford, the conversation centers on tackling homelessness in Lawrence, Douglas County, and beyond, featuring guests Kaitlyn Mercer, Manager of Family Support for Catholic Charities in Lawrence, and Nelson Vowels, Senior Director of Mission Operations for Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas. Mercer shares how the Lawrence Family Support Center provides food, clothing, rental and utility assistance, homeless prevention, and rapid rehousing, with a focus on wraparound services that stabilize and uplift individuals and families. Vowels offers a regional perspective, describing Catholic Charities’ 21-county network, including transitional housing programs like Shalom House, eviction prevention, refugee resettlement, and immigration legal services—all available to people of any faith or no faith. Together, the guests emphasize the importance of both transactional aid and relational hospitality, illustrating how simple acts of connection can restore dignity, foster hope, and inspire community transformation.