The local office of Catholic Charities has moved out of its longtime quarters next to the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament and into temporary digs at the Salvation Army church in town — in preparation for a permanent move to some new, undisclosed location.

During the transition period of undisclosed length, the staff of the Blair County Catholic Charities office will continue providing financial support for needy people of all faiths — or no faith — but mainly by phone, as the staff’s presence at the Salvation Army on the 1800 block of Sixth Avenue will not necessarily be consistent, according to Tony DeGol, spokesman for the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown.

When finally established in a new permanent location, preferably in the near future, the local Catholic Charities office will continue to serve needy people in the community, said DeGol, who declined to say whether that new iteration of the local office will be different from what preceded it in any significant respect.

DeGol declined to say why Catholic Charities recently moved out of the diocese-owned building it has occupied for decades on the 1300 block of 12th Avenue or what plans the diocese has for that building next to the Cathedral.

In addition to using the Salvation Army Church as a temporary base of operations, the local Catholic Charities office is cooperating with the Salvation Army in its mission to serve homeless people at the Sixth Avenue location, said Salvation Army Major Christopher Blessing.

Catholic Charities has worked with the Salvation Army since Blessing and his wife Jennifer took over leadership locally a year and a half ago, but since Catholic Charities moved in mid-January, that cooperation has intensified, according to Blessing.

Catholic Charities has been providing a volunteer to serve coffee and food at the homeless shelter the church runs and also has helped with a new coffee pot, hot beverages, paper supplies, clothing and other things, Blessing said.

“We love having them,” Blessing said. “They’re fantastic. We work well together.”

The move of the local Catholic Charities office to temporary quarters at the Salvation Army was arranged by local Catholic Charities Executive Director Cindy O’Connor, who needed a partner during her office’s transition, DeGol said.

The Altoona-based Blair County office of Catholic Charities is one of two co-equal offices serving the eight-county diocese, along with the Johnstown office, DeGol said.

There is a “small handful” of employees in each one, according to DeGol.

The transition will not result in any of the Blair County employees losing their Catholic Charities jobs, according to DeGol.

Individuals seeking help in the Altoona area can call Catholic Charities at 814-944-9388 or email the organization at charitiesinfo@dioceseaj.org.

“We see a lot of individuals struggling,” DeGol said.

The Blair County office of Catholic Charities “provides comprehensive social services to individuals and families in Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Centre, Clinton, Fulton, Huntingdon and Somerset counties,” according to an online source. Services include emergency financial assistance, addiction counseling and mental health services.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.