What did last week look like at St. Francis House? 400 people received groceries and hygiene products.
Fourteen people were able to get life-saving medication.
Almost 400 unsheltered community members have bus passes for transportation.
Over 100 new clients began receiving services in the last three days.
So what is driving the increase? The moratorium on evictions has been lifted, much of the money currently available for rent has been spent, and recovery has not been rapid enough for our working poor to keep up. Many of our new clients are using money on rent that they had been able to use for food. Others are now on the street or in shelters because of being evicted. But even with our clothing room closed due to VA restrictions and clients not being able to come into the building, we still try to help with special needs. John, one of our homeless clients, lost his mother last week. He didn’t have clothes appropriate for her funeral and was embarrassed to attend in what he had. St. Francis House staff put together an outfit so he could attend her funeral in style! And when two different moms mentioned their children had birthdays, St. Francis House staff went through our various food donations for the perfect special something for a birthday celebration. Why go to all that trouble? Because our clients are more than just statistics, they are our St. Francis House family!