GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND
ST. LUCY'S COMPLEX
CALL TO ACTION
Catholic Charities seeks to create an endowment to cover the costs of responsive, compassionate shelter and housing operations. With funds reserved, we would use the interest to cover our annual costs, and still grow the investment. We need you to go above and beyond for us so that we can go above and beyond for our clients.
THE NEED
Homelessness is a significant challenge in Hudson County with over 650 individuals experiencing homelessness on any given night. Cost of living in this area is very high, landlords demand tenants have a high income, excellent credit, and perfect background checks. Someone earning minimum wage will spend 80% of their income on rent.
THE PLAN
Since 1986, Catholic Charities has operated St. Lucy’s Emergency Shelter in a re-purposed elementary school, a space not intended to be used as a homeless shelter. A developer approached us to take over the land, with an offer to build a brand-new facility. We thoughtfully designed this complex; a facility where we can go above and beyond simply providing people with a bed and a warm meal. We want to help people wherever they are on their journey to find safe, affordable housing.
THE RESULT
St. Lucy’s is now a state-of-the-art complex that offers a
continuum of housing options, including:
- 150 beds of emergency shelter 5 three-bedroom permanent
- supportive housing apartments
- 14 beds of transitional housing for those living with HIV/AIDS;
- 15 permanent supportive housing studio apartments
In one location, we offer an array of services to people who come to St. Lucy’s: mental health counseling, life skills training, job coaching, connection to benefits and much more. Additionally, we operate a drop-in center where individuals can come in to eat a warm meal, shower, wash their clothes, and receive counseling.
WHY NOW
The operations of these programs are very expensive. Operating costs continue to grow, salaries and healthcare continue to rise, and inflation is hitting hard. Traditional funding sources from the City and County have never fully covered the costs, and every year we spend significant time raising funds to cover the sizable deficit. We need help to eliminate this annual hurdle.
TONI’S STORY
In August 2019 I lost my job as a counselor. When I couldn’t pay my rent, I lost my apartment. As a mother of three children, it was heartbreaking. Thankfully, my adult children were able to find housing. But I had no place to go. I went to St. Lucy’s Emergency Shelter. The staff was terrific: friendly, helpful, and nonjudgmental. They assured me Catholic Charities would provide me everything I needed to get me back on my feet and they did. They connected me to medical services, employment assistance, social security help, and eventually a voucher to help with my housing costs. Thanks to Catholic Charities, I was able to find a job and an apartment of my own, and I can stand on my own two feet. My experience filled my heart with hope. The facilities are clean, the staff was compassionate and explored every resource they could to help me. Even the other clients were kind and welcoming. At the hardest time in my life, I felt loved and supported. Now that I am stable, I decided I wanted to help St. Lucy’s as they helped me. I now volunteer twice a week at St. Lucy’s, and I am so grateful that I can help others on their journey. Our key to providing quality services is to treat every person with dignity, respect, and compassion.
NAMING OPPORTUNITIES
TRANSITIONAL HOUSING
$100,000
PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE
HOUSING FOR FAMILIES
$100,000
PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE
HOUSING FOR INDIVIDUALS
$100,000
CAFETERIA / KITCHEN
$75,000
OUTSIDE SPACE
$50,000
SOCIAL SERVICES
$25,000
MONTHLY FOOD AND
UTILITY COSTS for 1 month
$12,500
