Angeline's Wing addition ahead of schedule at Catholic Charities

Despite a few bouts of rainy weather, construction of the new addition at Catholic Charities in Sioux City – Angeline’s Wing – is not only on track but slightly ahead of schedule at this time.

According to Amy Bloch, executive director, Catholic Charities broke ground in October but plans have been in the works for a few years.

“Angeline’s Wing is an addition to our building that will be focused on providing mental health and substance use disorder services for children and families as well as psychiatric services for both children and adults,” explained Bloch.

It was more than three years ago when Angeline Thom, for whom the new wing will be named, left an estate gift to Catholic Charities.

“That really kind of springboarded us into thinking that if we’re going to add on, do an addition, let’s really focus on children,” said Bloch, who noted their agency had seen a dramatic increase in the number of children they were serving and knew these services were a need for the community.

At about that same time, various studies and research about children and their mental health needs were making national headlines. 

“It was, I really think, God saying that this is the direction that we need to go,” said the executive director. “All these things were aligning and so that’s why we decided to really focus on this addition for children.”

Amy Jones, director of marketing and development, pointed out that as a result of theAmy Jones and Amy Bloch describe how the new construction is going and what will be included in the new wing. bequest, they were also able to secure a Missouri River Historic Development grant. Catholic Charities received the $1 million economic match grant from MRHD in August of 2024. In addition, a number of other generous donors throughout the diocese have contributed to the project.

The two mentioned that without this addition, there was no room to expand services and no more room even for storage. 

“With Angeline’s Wing we will have a number of specialized spaces for therapy for youth,” said Jones. “We’ll have play therapy space for young children and a youth therapy space for the adolescent teen. We’ll also have an art room and space to offer PCIT, which is parent-child interactive therapy that’s where the therapist observes the parent and child together.”

The new addition, which will be connected directly to the current building, will be home to a new main entrance and waiting room. It will also house a family consultation room, special suite for the psychiatrist, prayer room for staff and clients, conference room to be used by parenting classes or support groups and more.  

“We want it to be a very welcoming and inviting space. The space will have colors and fixtures that will be child friendly for all ages,” said Jones.  

After Catholic Charities broke ground at the end of October 2024, she said they started initial work but paused during the winter months, starting up again in March.

“They are framing the first floor, have the retaining wall done out back. The plan is that they will be done in October,” said Bloch.

Bloch mentioned that this new wing ties in well with the mission of Catholic Charities as they have always strived to serve the most vulnerable in the community. Children with mental health needs as well as their families, the executive director added, certainly fall into that category.

“Kids today are struggling,” stressed Bloch, who noted between 38 to 40% of their clients are children. “With suicide being the second leading cause of death for our kids and 60% of girls feeling hopeless with thoughts of suicide – those are statistics here in Iowa – mental health is definitely a priority.”

The impact of these situations, she added, often extends beyond the child to parents and other family members.

Because this wing will be dedicated to help children who need help and their families, Bloch said she believes their partners in this project - the general contractor, architect and even the construction workers – have been excited to be a part of something that will make a difference.

H&R Construction recently had Catholic Charities staff, board members and construction workers sign a steel beam prior to its placement in the structure.

“It was really neat to read what the employees wrote. A lot of them wrote prayers for all entering and for the healing of the kids and all who enter the doors,” said Jones.

Once the new addition is complete in the fall, the plan is to move the present office into the new structure so that the original building can undergo a remodel.

Built in the 1970s, Bloch mentioned that the current building which will provide services mainly focused on adults has only had limited updates through the years. The renovation will include a new roof and windows.

They anticipate holding a dedication ceremony in January of 2026 to celebrate completion of the new building and renovation to the present building.

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