A Home for All
St. Francis Friends of the Poor, established in 1980, is the life’s work of three Franciscan Friars, Fr. Tom Walters, Fr. John McVean, and the late Fr. John Felice. Respectfully known among close friends as John, John, and Tom, these three men evoked the spirit of St. Francis in answering the call to aid the homeless and mental health needs in New York City. The years leading up to 1980 warranted desperate cries for help from the city to house people experiencing homelessness, an issue they could not bear alone. Before 1970-1980, the largest city in the country had never experienced such a surge in those living in the streets or cycling in and out of temporary shelters and hospitals. Before St. Francis Friends of the Poor, those who had recently been deinstitutionalized and required mental health support did not have a permanent home, much less stability in their medication, benefits, meals, and more.
As friars typically cycle from parish to parish every three years, completing various missions along the way, the Frs. Walters, McVean, and Felice held steady in New York City, furthering their mission to support men and women experiencing homelessness and living with severe mental health challenges. After renovating and operating three sites, previously single-room occupancy (SRO) hotels, St. Francis Friends of the Poor opened the first permanent supportive housing for these New Yorkers in need. Services provided to tenants have remained the same since the father’s outreach efforts prior to 1980 and include meals, medication management, psychiatric help, primary medical care, benefits/ money management, and, last but not least, activities to build community the Franciscan way. Living amongst one another, sharing community spaces for meals, weekly tenant council meetings, and daily art and activities are directly modeled after our Friars' lives within their friary's walls. The warmth from the familiarity of staff and respect between tenants bred a culture of safety, family, and home within the community that we champion to this day. All would not be made possible without the vision and perseverance of our three beloved friars and founders. To learn more about the life-changing work of St. Francis Friends of the Poor, please visit our website at www.stfrancisfriends.org.
Linda Flores, MSW, MPP
Development & Communications Manager
St. Francis Friends of the Poor
