St. John Center
35th Anniversary Blog
- Meet Robert – and Miss Kitty
- Larry Otto – St. John Center’s Founding Volunteer
- Podiceps and St John’s
- Bill and Turtle’s Story
- A Legacy of Love: Sister Pat Worley, SCN
- A Lifetime of Service at Muhammad Ali and Clay
- A Brief History of the St. John Clinic
- Our Founding Director: Sister Mary Kathleen Sheehan, SCN
- Genio’s Cooking Show
- Early Days at the St. John Center for the Homeless
St. John Center at 35 Years
For 35 years, St. John Center has been serving people experiencing homelessness while advocating for safe, supportive, and affordable housing.
In 1984, at the urging of advocates and volunteers at Christ Church Cathedral and the Cathedral of the Assumption, then-Mayor Harvey Sloane convened a Homeless Task Force to examine the increase of people in our city without adequate housing. A primary recommendation of that task force was the establishment of a day shelter. On April 14, 1986, we opened the doors of the recently-closed St. John Catholic Church, a parish built in the 1850’s as a safe haven for immigrants, to welcome people who needed a place to go during the day.
Over 35 years, the organization has grown from a day shelter to a comprehensive social service organization providing Street Outreach, the Day Shelter and Social Services Center, and the Permanent Supportive Housing Program. We have remained rooted in our founding values, and our commitment to recognizing the dignity of each person we encounter in our work.
Between April 2021 and June 2021, we will share some of the stories of St. John Center on this page.