Catholic Campaign for Human Development

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) is the domestic antipoverty and social [Page 181]justice program of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The CCHD was begun in 1969 by Catholic bishops in the United States, in part as a response to Pope Paul VI’s encyclical Populorum Progressio (“The Progress of Peoples”). It was founded with two purposes: to raise funds to support organized groups of poor and disadvantaged people to help them develop economic strength and political power, and to educate Catholics about today’s problems and promote new approaches that foster a greater sense of solidarity. The overall goal was to address the root causes of poverty in America through promotion and support of community-controlled self-help organizations, and through education for social justice ...