Through donor generosity, more than $1 million will assist four organizations
Soon after Southern Vicariate episcopal vicar Father Mike Lydon moved into Our Lady in Festus in July 2023, he walked out of the rectory one day to find a man sleeping on the sidewalk right outside the church.
In the following months, he saw similar scenes around the community: people without homes, sleeping on the streets, including an encampment behind a Walmart that was outlawed and broken up last fall.
“It’s one of the things I’ve heard the most since I’ve been down here, is that we need to do something impactful for the unhoused,” Father Lydon said.
The Southern Vicariate and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis are one step closer to that mission: the new Festus Housing Project has received a $585,000 grant from the Affordable Housing Fund through the Annual Catholic Appeal.
Four organizations were awarded more than $1 million in total through a second round of grants from the Affordable Housing Fund, the archdiocese announced April 23.
The Affordable Housing Fund was created by the Archdiocese of St. Louis after its All Things New social outreach subcommittee identified in a 2023 report that affordable housing is among the most pressing unmet needs for struggling families. The first round of grants were awarded to eight organizations in July 2024.
The 2025 grants, totaling $1,185,000, come from $1 million in overage funds (money raised beyond the goal) from the 2024 Annual Catholic Appeal, plus an additional $185,000 raised during the #iGiveCatholic campaign.
In addition to the Festus Housing Project, other recipients are:
The Care Service at Sts. Joachim & Ann: $350,000 to purchase two affordable housing units and make any needed repairs.
Peter & Paul Community Services: $150,000 to go toward renovation of 20 affordable apartments at the new north St. Louis campus.
St. Joseph Housing Initiative: $100,000 to renovate one mixed-use and one residential property in south St. Louis into two residential homes to be sold to first-time homebuyers.
“While no one effort can solve the affordable housing crisis, I am heartened by people who, with just a little support and encouragement from these fine organizations, have reached their housing goals,” Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski said. “Over and over again, they describe to us their sense of hope after finding a safe, stable place for their family to call home, and how this stability frees them to focus on work, education, health, and other important areas of their lives.”
Festus Housing Project
The Festus Housing Project aims to construct a new building of affordable housing units on the campus of Sacred Heart Parish in Crystal City. The building would have 10 units, with an additional unit for a live-in property manager. The facility would accommodate men, women and children.
The housing project is the second such project under Catholic Charities Housing, a new entity in the Catholic Charities family of ministries that was formed in the past year. Its first project is the Troy Housing Project, a new affordable housing complex to complement emergency shelter Bridge of Hope in Lincoln County. Catholic Charities is also a partner in Bridge of Hope and in Life’s River, a similar shelter in Washington.
Leaders for the Festus Housing Project consulted early on with Assisi House, a nonprofit that offers housing in small, communal settings for those who are homeless or facing housing insecurity. Like Assisi House, Festus Housing plans to charge a low monthly rent and also connect residents with supportive resources, Catholic Charities chief community officer Brian Thouvenot said.
“We think it’s a good option when it comes to the lack of affordable housing, and also, we can help those families or individuals with the help they need in order to have a more permanent solution,” Thouvenot said. “…It will be something that we could model, potentially, for other areas of the community.”
The project is still in its early stages; Catholic Charities and the Southern Vicariate are working to engage other Jefferson County partners and secure additional funding for the remainder of the estimated $1.2 million needed for the project, Father Lydon said.
The Festus Housing Project is the first Affordable Housing Fund grant recipient in the Southern Vicariate.
“The archbishop said — and Catholic Charities is paired with him on this — that he wants to cover every square inch of the archdiocese with both evangelization and social outreach,” Father Lydon said. “And we have very little (for the unhoused) in Jeff Co right now.”
It will also be the first Catholic Charities housing project in the Southern Vicariate, Thouvenot said. Catholic Charities has several operations within the Northern Vicariate, and Life’s River in Washington and Bridge of Hope and the Troy Housing Project are in the Western Vicariate.
“So it just really shows that the archdiocese was focused on getting a project moving in the Southern Vicariate, so that we are indeed bringing all these different resources,” Thouvenot said. “But it’s just a start. We have quite a need out there.”
