8:08 a.m.
Sunday, May 31, 2026 8:06 am

Last year's verbatim email string between The Rochester Voice and Catholic Charities NH Jeff Lefkovich

During a 2019 campaign stop in Iowa while running for president Joe Biden told a crowd, "We (the United States) could afford to take in a heartbeat another two million (immigrants)."
Well, that turned into more than 20 million illegal immigrants coming across the border, with the help of NGOs like Catholic Charities USA, spending billions of dollars of U.S. taxpayer money on everything from cash to Biden T-shirts.
But United States citizens paid the heaviest price, in tax dollars that put migrants up in four-star New York hotels, gave them full medical coverage for free and worst of all, exacerbated the crunch for housing for Americans.
Everything is about supply and demand and that's why buying a house is more of a pipe dream then ever before. Rents are through the roof, too.
So why are Rochester taxpayers now going to be part of the "funding stack" for Catholic Charities of New Hampshire's affordable housing project at the old DPW on Old Dover Road.
Why are they coming hat in hand to Rochester?

Why do Rochester taxpayers have to be part of the funding stack. I know when my funding stack is insufficient I have to put it on a credit card!
Can't they get the money from their mother ship Catholic Charities USA, an NGO that gets more than a billion dollars a year from the federal government.
Why can't they do some grassroots fund-raising like other nonprofits.
I guess it's just easier putting their hand out to municipalities that have no problem letting their own taxpayers foot the bill.
Jeff Lefkovich, executive director of Real Estate and Development for Catholic Charities of New Hampshire, told the City Council and residents in attendance at a November 2024 meeting that there would be no illegal aliens housed at the complex, but during a subsequent email to The Rochester Voice he promised anything but.
By the way the CEO of Catholic Charities of NH gets over $400,000 a year; the CFO gets over $230,000 a year, according to propublica.org
Maybe they could help out!

The City Council will vote on Tuesday on whether to approve the $400,000 funding.
To read a July 16, 2025 oped that spells out how NGOs fueled the immigrant crisis check out The Rochester Voice opinion page.