Catholic Charities Spokane, a 100-year-old nonprofit with social services throughout Eastern Washington, offers 11 programs providing food, shelter, clothing, education, counseling, and support to people in need—and as is the case with other charities here—it's doing so right now with shrinking funds.

In its centennial year of 2012, the large charity, which helps more than 77,000 people annually regardless of religious affiliation, is facing some tough economic realities of its own. Cuts are expected in at least a couple of programs, likely affecting summer overnight stays for men at its House of Charity at 32 W. Pacific, one of the nonprofit's two homeless shelters here, and immigration support services in parts of Eastern Washington.

"This is by far the most profound reduction in funding and services we've seen since the Great Depression," says Rob McCann, the nonprofit's executive director. "We lost close to half a million in public funding for all of our homeless shelters in the last couple of years."

Meanwhile, costs have risen for insurance, utilities, salaries, and overhead to offer those services.

Like many other nonprofits, Catholic Charities has grappled since 2008 with the aftershocks of a poor economy, shrinking public dollars, and flat private source funding.

The charity has operated under about a $13.3 million budget each of its two last fiscal years that ended Dec. 31 of 2010 and 2011, with about 42 percent of its income derived originally from federal funding sources. Its current year budget is roughly $13.5 million.

McCann says the nonprofit has managed until this point to hold off any cuts in services. However, its development director, Ann Marie Byrd, says the nonprofit is bracing for anticipated significant cuts in funding during this current state legislative session, which could force it to trim services.

"The year 2012 is really the year we'll feel the impact of the state government and federal funding that has diminished for some of our critical services, especially on the shelter side," Byrd says. "Some of our legislative funding is scheduled to be cut. Right now, we know there will be deep cuts. At our shelters, we know we could be looking at those to be completely defunded, although that could change. We know funds are shifting toward transitional and permanent housing support."

In 2010, Catholic Charities served more than 70,000 people. In 2011, it served more than 77,000, Byrd says, adding "that's pretty critical. We're serving over 7,500 more individuals, and that's with a staff of 232 and over 6,600 volunteers in 13 counties of Eastern Washington."

Its services include childbirth and parenting assistance, Christmas Bureau, counseling, the House of Charity shelter for men, St. Margaret's shelter for women, Catholic relief services, emergency assistance, and St. Anne's Children and Family Center. It also has refugee and immigration services, senior and family housing, volunteer chore services, senior nutrition, among others.

This past fall, Catholic Charities also decided to postpone a $10 million centennial campaign scheduled this year after receiving feedback from supporters, volunteers, and other community members through a feasibility study it conducted. The study found that many supporters and donors in general also are experiencing difficult times because of the economy. That fundraiser would eventually create an endowment fund to support its programs into the next century.

"We serve the poorest of the poor in our community," McCann adds. "We've done that for 100 years and we hope to do that for 100 more years, or until we're not needed anymore."

McCann says Catholic Charities plans to revisit its centennial campaign eventually, although he doesn't know exactly when. While the charity prepared for a couple of recessionary years starting in 2008 through 2009, it didn't anticipate a prolonged tough economy, McCann adds.

"Now we're into our year three and four, and it looks like there's going to be tough year number five," McCann says. "We're just trying to keep our heads above water as is every nonprofit in Spokane. When the recession started around 2008 to 2009, we were ready, but we weren't ready for this many tough years. I'm worried now there's going to be a fifth or sixth year."

He adds, "It's the perfect storm. The economy's bad; public money is shrinking; private donors are going into the bunker a bit, but the need is going through the roof. For a nonprofit social agency, that's a perfect storm."

McCann says that a likely four-month suspension of the summer sleeping program at the House of Charity would affect only homeless men who can stay overnight there, and that daytime services at the shelter, including meals for both men and women, will continue through the summer.

At its Spokane-area St. Margaret's Shelter, women and children can stay up to two years in one of 18 units. The average stay is between five and nine months, and the women receive many support services and educational programs while at the residence. Currently, it is housing about 52 people total, including 18 women and their children, Byrd says.

Also as part of what it does, the nonprofit sponsors more than 900 housing units around Eastern Washington to help low-income and senior residents have homes of their own.

As its newest project, Catholic Charities is developing an $8 million low-income housing project downtown, at 108 S. State, next to its House of Charity. Funding for the project comes from the Washington state Housing Trust Fund, administered by the state Department of Commerce, and private investors, Catholic Charities says. The nonprofit tore down a former warehouse and in its place is building a four-story, 51-unit housing complex to offer permanent housing to chronically homeless men and women.

In addition to its main office in Spokane, Catholic Charities has offices in Colville, Walla Walla, and Pasco, as well as a food bank in Brewster, Wash. Counting all of its Spokane and Eastern Washington programs, the charity has 232 total employees, a majority of them based here. McCann declines to say whether any staffing cuts are planned this year.

In 2008, Catholic Charities renovated a medical office building at 12 E. Fifth on the lower South Hill under a $5 million project that allowed it to consolidate most of its programs under one roof. A significant portion of the cost to renovate the structure was raised from grants and fundraising, Byrd says, and the nonprofit realized a cost savings of about $109,000 a year that it had been paying on leases.

The newer headquarters is across Division Street from its St. Anne's Children and Family Center, at 25 W. Fifth, which offers affordable childcare for children ages 4 weeks through 6 , for both private-pay families and for those receiving a state Department of Social and Health Services child-care subsidy.

Catholic Charities traces its roots to 1912, when eight parishes came together to offer food, clothing, shelter, and medication services in the community, under the then-named Catholic Social Betterment League. The league reorganized as Catholic Charities in 1940.

Going forward, McCann says the nonprofit will work to be flexible and serve more people with less revenue. Its support in recent years from private donations has been flat, he says, adding, "But in this economy, flat is a victory."

Meanwhile, McCann sees one of Catholic Charities' biggest roles as advocacy for vulnerable people in the community, including children, the elderly, and those in poverty. That advocacy includes trying to understand better how to help people before they need social services, he says.

"We have 11 different programs; they help people who have exhausted all other resources for the most part. We're the last point of assistance for them in most cases, I would say," McCann says.

He adds, "People are in the current drowning, and we're good at being lifeguards, but we need to take a breath, walk up the stream and take a look at why people are drowning. Why are people falling in the river? Why do people need Catholic Charities to begin with?"

As overall funding continues to diminish, he says, "We're not going to be able to have as many lifeguards on the shore as we have. We want to keep saving people. We have to get to people before they need saving."

He also sees that advocacy role as reaching out to lawmakers and the public to increase awareness. McCann says he spends a lot of time writing letters and meeting with legislators, the public, and parishes to talk about poverty and budgetary priorities.

"Human services tend to be at the bottom of the list," he says.