Crosscare was founded during the Emergency in 1941 by Archbishop John Charles McQuaid and it initially provided Penny Dinners throughout its 27 Food Centres. Its offices are based on the grounds of Clonliffe College and it employs about 500 staff, as well as having over 1500 volunteers contributing to it. It is funded in part by the Irish Government; with other ad hoc funding coming from contributions the public mainly during its annual church collection. Crosscare's services include providing homeless accommodation services and support, food provision, youth services including residential accommodation, care for the elderly services, Emigrant advice, Community Development Programmes, Neilstown Welfare Rights Project, AIDS task force, drugs awareness and counselling as well as a number of community services. Crosscare, as part of its work, lobbies government of issues it is concerned about and on behalf of those who use its services. It produces reports and compiles statistics on the sectors in which it provides services. Crosscare instigated Irelands first Food Bank during the 1980s, and collects food, donated from businesses and distributes it to its service users. After some years working in conjunction with each other Emigrant Advice was fully integrated into Crosscare the 1990s, and provides help and assistance to migrants moving to Ireland, as well as Irish people moving abroad and returning to Ireland. They produce a free book in a number of languages called Living in Ireland to help with people moving to and integrating into Ireland. They also produce a monthly newsletter called Emigration News for migrants to Ireland and Le Cheile aimed at Irish emigrants. The Drug Awareness Programme, Crosscare, Clonliffe College, run the Certificate in Addiction Studies, from NUI Maynooth.
Governance
Crosscare is governed by a council, members serve a three-year term. The current chair is Frank O'Connell. Fr. Desmond Williams served as Chair of Crosscare from 1980 until 1990 also Rev. Dr. Maurice Reidy who stood down for health reasons in 1995.
