CONTACT INFORMATION
Rick Squier, Executive Director
219 West Main St.
Ravenna, OH 44266
Click for Directions
Phone: 330-297-7745
Fax: 330-297-7763
info@catholiccharitiesps.org
SERVICE
Portage County Site
219 West Main St.
Ravenna, OH 44266
Click for Directions
Phone: 330-297-7745
Fax: 330-297-7763
Office Hours: 8:30am – 4:30pm, M-F
SITES
Stark County Site
832 McKinley Ave NW, Suite C
Canton, OH 44703
Click for Directions
Phone: 330-491-0896
Fax: 330-491-1298
Office Hours: 8:30am – 4:30pm, M-F
Potential clients are encouraged to call ahead before seeking services in person.
The Canton office takes calls for utility assistance by phone, typically Monday – Friday starting at 9:00am until appointments have been exhausted for that day.
Callers for other Canton office services are encouraged to call after 10:00am.
Services offered at Catholic Charities Serving Portage and Stark Counties
- Basic Needs Assis
tance - First Step Family Support
- Furniture Program
- Senior Services
- “Next Step” Ministries
GENERAL INFORMATION
We operate two service sites. A range of social services are available for Portage County residents at our Ravenna office and for Stark County residents at our Canton office.
Some services are common to more than one site while other services are unique to one site. Eligibility and procedures to access services vary by program and by site. Those seeking services are strongly encouraged to call ahead.
BASIC NEEDS ASSISTANCE
Basic needs assistance, including those services typically referred to as emergency assistance (EA), is at the core of our mission and is offered to those in need within the Portage and Stark County communities. In many cases, we also seek to provide case management services and referrals.
Portage County Services
- Utility assistance
- Rent assistance
- Food pantry
- Community Cupboard (personal hygiene and household cleaning items)
- Seasonal assistance (e.g. Christmas gifts, back-to-school materials)
- Birth certificates and photo ID’s
- Transportation (bus tokens and, in special circumstances, longer distance bus fare)
- Vehicle services (help with car repairs for employment, education, or medical reasons)
- Disaster relief
Stark County Services
- Utility assistance
- Rent assistance: Application/More Information Here
- AEP Neighbor to Neighbor Program (effective 11/1/24-3/28/25)
- Food pantry
- Community Cupboard (personal hygiene and household cleaning items)
- Seasonal assistance (e.g. Christmas gifts)
- Birth certificates and photo ID’s
- Transportation (bus tokens and, in special circumstances, longer distance bus fare)
- Disaster relief
FIRST STEP FAMILY SUPPORT
The Catholic Charities First Step Center for Family Support program provides assistance to low income pregnant women and families with young children in obtaining infant supplies such as formula, diapers, and clothing; case management; parenting support and education; and related referrals. Other First Step services include toilet training kits, facilitation of the Cribs for Kids program, Family Support Services (educational activities paired with material incentives), and the Stark County Baby Boutique (gently used infant and toddler clothing, accessories, etc.).
Additional material assistance and support is available for foster parents and kinship caregivers in Portage County, through the Foster & Kinship Care Support Program at our Ravenna office.
We are a Community Distribution Partner Site of Heart of Ohio Diaper Bank, a distributor of free diapers to our Stark County Site, which helps augment our supply of diapers for distribution and end diaper need in Stark County. Find the Heart of Ohio Diaper Bank on Facebook here.
We are partners with Project MKC, which helps augment our supply of diapers for distribution from our Portage County office. Find Project MKC on Facebook here.
FURNITURE PROGRAM
Catholic Charities’ Emergency Furniture Program, in partnership with the Habitat for Humanity Restore, is intended for individuals or households with an emergency need for furniture caused by a recent, documentable event.
Examples of qualifying events include, but are not limited to, exiting a homeless or domestic violence shelter or recovering from a home disaster such as a house-fire.
SENIOR SERVICES
We strive to provide supportive services to adults 65 and over in our communities with basic needs assistance, case management, and other services. Services and eligibility vary by county, but may include:
Portage County Services
- Payee services
Stark County Services
- Senior housing assistance, including rent and mortgage assistance (click here for more information)
“NEXT STEP” MINISTRIES
While basic needs assistance represents our core mission, we also recognize the benefit of helping people take the “next step” toward a more stable and self-sustaining life. We have developed a number of services which fall into this category. Generally speaking, these ministries are relatively low volume/high intensity in comparison to our other services, and they are unavailable at times (e.g. due to COVID-19 restrictions or limited demand). Services include:
- Project ASSISI provides case management, short-term financial assistance, resources, and referrals to help qualifying individuals and families achieve long-term financial stability.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Volunteer opportunities are available at both of our service sites:
- Stark County (Canton office): Some details about our volunteer opportunities can be found by clicking here. If you are interested in volunteering or would like more information on upcoming openings in Stark County, please contact us at (330) 491-0896, ext. 101; or info@CatholicCharitiesPS.org.
- Portage County (Ravenna office): Please call our office at (330) 297-7745 to schedule a visit to see where your gifts and talents would best help.
Contact Catholic Charities Serving Portage and Stark Counties