Gov. Linda Lingle has released a $288,000 grant to Catholic Charities of Hawai'i to help pay for a new social services community center that will house programs to help Hawai'i's at-risk children, youth, families and senior citizens.

Catholic Charities plans to consolidate most of its social service programs on O'ahu into one main location at its new facilities in Makiki to better serve the needs of Hawai'i's poor and most vulnerable residents.

The nonprofit organization's programs on O'ahu now operate out of four sites. The consolidation will enable Catholic Charities to expand its programs, improve delivery of services, extend its outreach into the community and increase its efficiency.