How public and private partnerships deliver promised, essential social services

A group of women at the beach, participating in Commonwealth Catholic Charities’ have programming where refugee women in Virginia gather for learning and outings. (Photo courtesy Commonwealth Catholic Charities)

Commonwealth Catholic Charities (CCC) has partnered with the government for over 15 years to welcome new Americans through the United States Refugee Admissions program. Despite evidence that refugee arrivals provide significant economic returns and no threat to public safety, the Refugee Admissions program was abruptly halted on January 20. 

With a change in administration, nonprofit agencies like ours anticipated a temporary pause on new arrivals. We did not anticipate that our government would simply stop payment for services already rendered and withhold support for lawfully admitted refugees. Since the cancellation of contracts providing regulatory structure and financial resources, we have struggled to provide for people welcomed by the U.S. after fleeing war and persecution. We were also forced to lay off or furlough over 20% of our workforce statewide. 

When one side of a public-private partnership breaks, the whole system breaks. Thousands of nonprofits and communities around the country experienced this firsthand over the past few weeks. Only the generosity of donors and board members ensured that CCC could continue to provide housing and other essentials to new arrivals during this crisis. 

While contributions from community members have enabled us to provide food and housing to newly arrived refugees, the community navigation and case management normally provided by our team cannot be replicated or replaced without federal support. We are providing a modest level of assistance through other staff members and volunteers, but the loss of dedicated professional staff to help refugees integrate locally will make the transition to life in the United States significantly more challenging.  

As CCC and other nonprofits have scrambled to continue to provide services, some community members and public leaders have questioned our participation in publicly funded programs, suggesting motives other than our simple desire to fulfill our mission and commitments to our communities.

Government funding is essential for high-impact nonprofits to thrive.   

Public-private partnerships are the lifeblood of the social service delivery system in our country. CCC and organizations like ours, who work with the government, never accept a public-private partnership exclusively for money. We evaluate opportunities based on the people we can serve and the potential impact on our community.  

Vulnerable people—neglected children who need a loving foster home, refugees who arrive with nothing, and individuals who’ve spent their entire adult lives on the streets—rely on the promise of government assistance. Government assistance passes through private agencies. Private agencies are full of passionate staff who live in, love, and understand the community they’re serving.  

The government leverages our religious identity, our commitment to mission, our local connections, our volunteer networks, our efficiency, and our expertise. In turn, we leverage government financial assistance to ensure that we can meet the immediate needs of the most vulnerable members of our community. Government funds support our work but rarely cover all expenses. We also rely heavily on the generosity of our community—but that generosity also rarely fulfills all needs.  

Ending public-private partnerships will dismantle the entire social service delivery system. 

Broken budgets are not what’s at stake, but—it’s the very lives of our neighbors and the system that communities rely on for services. To talk about the government not fulfilling its promises to its partners only in terms of the institutional consequences for agencies, or in a way that questions the motives of those who serve, is nearly as cruel as leaving vulnerable community members without the help that has been promised them.  

CCC’s mission impels us to serve the community. To serve, we must participate in the programs and systems in place. We cannot let those systems disappear overnight.  

Participating in government-funded programs is never about the money, it’s about scalable, sustainable impact. 

It’s about community.  

It’s about people.