Nurturing Possibility On the Margins

As the year comes to a close, we take a moment to reflect on the realities our neighbors face, and the hope that grows when community shows up for one another.

Below, our Board President shares a reflection on what it means to nurture possibility on the margins.

As the year draws to a close, many of us are thinking about margins -- the bottom lines, bonuses and balances that tell us how the year went. We tally what we’ve earned, what we’ve spent, and what’s left over.

But at Assisi House, margins mean something different.

When we talk about margins, we think about those living on them -- individuals who don’t have a warm place to stay this winter, those who may not know where they’re sleeping tonight, neighbors whose income just isn’t stretching quite far enough to make ends meet. We think of those who are too often forgotten or ignored, living in the narrow spaces between stability and crisis.

At Assisi House, we see the need up close every day. Across seven houses in neighborhoods throughout St. Louis, we provide safe, communal homes for 84 individuals who come to us facing homelessness or housing insecurity. Our homes are woven into the fabric of St. Louis — on the same streets where neighbors are working hard, raising families, and sometimes struggling too. That’s by design. We believe that healing and stability happen in relationship — when people share life, build trust, and care for one another.

For our residents, margins are an everyday consideration, as they ask questions like:

Will my SSI be enough to put food on the table this month?

Can I afford the bus fare that gets me to my life-saving medical appointments?

Do I need to take on another job just to cover the basics?

These are not abstract questions. They are the daily realities faced by people we know, care for, and love — people who deserve dignity, safety, and a sense of belonging.

As this year comes to an end, we invite you to help us redefine what margins mean. When you support Assisi House, you help move people from the margins toward stability, community, and hope.

When you give to Assisi House, you:

• Help sustain housing and stability for people rebuilding their lives;

• Provide transportation and access to medical care and other essential services;

• Uphold the dignity and humanity of every person we serve as we support people in moving from crisis to stability.

Together, we can make sure fewer of our neighbors are left on the margins — and that more people find stability, belonging, and hope.

If this work resonates with you, we invite you to support Assisi House this month in nurturing possibility for our neighbors.

Your generosity expands the margins of compassion — and helps build the kind of community we all deserve to call home.

Lisa L. Cagle

President of the Board