Special Campaign Update

More than just provide housing, we want to walk alongside our residents and build a community of support together where each person is treated with dignity and respect.

Over the last decade, we are proud to have grown Assisi House from an initial idea of providing temporary winter shelter for a group of men, to currently providing safe, stable housing for 84 residents across 7 homes, including 2 women's houses.

Many of you will recall the launch of our “Fund the Future” special campaign over a year ago. Our ambitious campaign goal was to raise $1.2 million over a two year period to ensure the sustainability of our work and to support the opening of new houses with the necessary staff for that expansion. In the first year of our campaign, our incredible community of supporters donated $670,000 or 53% of our goal. Thanks to your generosity, we successfully opened our seventh house (Keokuk) earlier this year and added a third resident support person to our dedicated staff.

This year has brought significant changes to the environment in St. Louis and across our nation. Some funding sources have contracted, and tornado recovery efforts have understandably shifted some donor priorities in the St. Louis region. Following the resignation of our Executive Director, Assisi House is actively engaged in the process of recruiting a new ED to lead our services, growth, and fundraising for a sustainable future.

In light of the current climate, our board has made the proactive decision to temporarily pause our expansion plans. This strategic choice allows us to focus on collaborating with our community partners and our new Executive Director to ensure that we continue to provide stable homes for our residents and foster a vibrant organization for the future.

Even with this temporary pause, we are optimistic about the next 10 years. While federal funding may currently be less certain, Assisi House’s operating model has never relied heavily on government funding to sustain us. Additionally, while leadership transitions can be challenging, we are confident that our small and welcoming work environment will attract outstanding candidates for the Executive Director position. We are energized and excited to collaborate with you—our friends, volunteers, funders and community stakeholders—to shape a bold vision for the next 10 years, as we adapt to the evolving needs of the unhoused and housing-insecure populations in St. Louis.