Serving Pontiac Residents
Serving Pontiac Residents
Our clients who are Pontiac Residents:
About 30% of the residents and 50% of the children in Pontiac live below the poverty line according to census data. With their meager budgets, it takes just one unplanned mishap to send families into a finical nose-dive. Large extra expenses put these people at serious risk for life threatening problems like homelessness and hunger.
Christian Community Response Team - CCRT (formerly known as Catholic Community Response Team) is the organization that dedicates itself solely to the local, low-income population on behalf of Oakland County. Our mission is simple: to provide direct support and referral services to Pontiac residents for unmet emergency basic-living needs, in a manner inspired by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are registered as a 501c3 non-profit organization.
Formed twenty years ago by the ten parishes that comprise the Pontiac Area Vicariate of Detroit Archdiocese, CCRT receives support from those parishes and other Oakland County churches. We also partner with Lakeshore Legal Aid, Kirk in the Hills, Ladies of Charity & St. Vincent de Paul and supported by private donors. Your ongoing support is critical and enables us to keep up with the needs of the community.
As Pope Francis lead us in celebrating “World Day of the Poor~ 2020”, he shares with us that people “like our clients “enable us to encounter the Face of Christ”. The Holy Father's message for 2020 is a reflection on Sirach 7:32: "Stretch forth your hand to the poor". Pope Francis encourages us to serve and bear the burden of the weak and poor.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Statement
CCRT is committed to promoting and upholding the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion in all aspects of our work. We believe by embracing diversity we can better serve our community, reduce disparities and create a more just and equitable society.
Non-Discrimination Policy for Services Delivered
CCRT does not discriminate the delivery of services to any client based on race, creed, color, gender, age or sexual orientation.
"CCRT's most pressing concern is keeping people in their homes so they don't end up on the street," said Williams, who has been the CCRT director for twenty years. "Once that happens, every problem gets magnified. We are providing assistance for low-income and homeless people who are trying to break a vicious cycle of poverty. We are working to stabilize their living situation". Barbara Williams, Director.
