Hospitality House Program

Welcome Home!

Modeled after the Houses of Hospitality started by Dorothy Day, the Hospitality House Program began in response to a local parish’s call to serve the homeless.  The program opened our first house in 1986.   Our third Hospitality House, the Joan Driscoll-Kelly House, opened in 2006.  In twenty years, more than one hundred families have graduated from the program. The three houses provide shelter, and much more, for seven working homeless families.  Each family resides in a private apartment and receives support services to help them meet their goal of securing their own permanent housing.  This “helping hand” makes a difference to the families, and  makes independent, secure housing an achievable dream.

Each house is financially supported by local churches or civic organizations, including the Parish Community of St. Helen and the Rotary Club.  Other donors and volunteers help with household goods and repairs.

Supportive Services in a Communal  Setting:

A sense of community is one of the greatest losses experienced by the homeless. Our Hospitality House program reconnects the resident guests by building a community spirit within the program and connecting them to our sister agency, St. Joseph Social Service Center, and to groups and services in the local area.  The guests are encouraged to attend retreats and celebrations, as well as house meetings and gatherings designed to help each member to feel connected to the larger community.

It is our experience that, once people feel grounded in a solid community, we see them begin to heal and rebuild their lives.   The program provides them with supportive services to help them on that journey.  Each week they meet with the program coordinator to discuss their progress.  They attend monthly workshops on budgeting, first aid, parenting and tenant’s rights and responsibilities.  Other workshops deal with stress, personal health and nutrition and building self-esteem.  Most of our families stay for about one year.  In that time, they are able to rebuild their personal and financial lives and move on to their own apartments.  We encourage them to save a “nest egg” that will help them in future emergencies.  We urge them to stay connected.  Many do an have remained our friends.

Supportive services in a communal setting: People heal. Families rebuild. Independence is gained.