Saint Lucy’s Complex – Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Newark

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DOUBLE THE HELP,
DOUBLE THE HOPE

Simply note “St. Lucy’s Match” on your Donation

ST. LUCY'S COMPLEX

St. Lucy’s Complex is transforming lives in
Hudson County

Thanks to your generosity, we’ve met the $100,000 Match Challenge! Every dollar was doubled, making an even greater impact for the families we serve. Your continued support today will help us go even further.

100000

We’re thrilled to share that, thanks to you, we’ve met our $100,000 Match Challenge! Every gift was doubled, extending hope and help to even more individuals and families in need.

Your support has made life-changing moments possible: a child with a safe, warm bed, a parent with the stability to pursue new opportunities, a senior with the dignity and security they deserve.

And the work doesn’t stop there — your generosity today will continue building hope, stability, and resilience for our entire community.

Together, we can change even more lives.

CALL TO ACTION

Catholic Charities seeks to create an endowment to cover the costs of responsive, compassionate shelter and housing operations. With funds reserved, we would use the interest to cover our annual costs and still grow the investment. Now, you can help more people find safety, stability, and hope.

Your gift today will ensure families have warm meals, supportive case management, and pathways to permanent housing. Every contribution strengthens our community and provides dignity and security for our most vulnerable neighbors.

THE NEED

Homelessness is rising at an alarming rate in Hudson County — with over 1,160 people experiencing homelessness on any given night, a 27% increase in just one year. Behind these numbers are individuals and families being priced out of their communities.

The cost of living in our area is among the highest in the country. Landlords often require high incomes, spotless credit, and perfect backgrounds, leaving little room for anyone who’s struggled or simply trying to get by. For someone earning minimum wage, rent alone can consume up to 80% of their income. That leaves almost nothing for food, transportation, or childcare let alone a pathway to stability.

Your support helps us change that. With your help, we can build safe, stable shelter options for our neighbors and give families a real chance to rebuild their lives.

THE PLAN

Since 1986, Catholic Charities has operated St. Lucy’s Emergency Shelter in a re-purposed elementary school, a space not intended to be used as a homeless shelter. A developer approached us to take over the land, with an offer to build a brand-new facility. We thoughtfully designed this complex; a facility where we can go above and beyond simply providing people with a bed and a warm meal. We want to help people wherever they are on their journey to find safe, affordable housing.

St. Lucy’s provides safe shelter, case management, meals, and a pathway to permanent housing

St. Lucy’s is now a state-of-the-art complex that offers a continuum of housing options, including:

150 beds of emergency shelter
5 three-bedroom permanent supportive housing apartments
14 beds of transitional housing for those living with HIV/AIDS;
15 permanent supportive housing studio apartments

In one location, we offer an array of services to people who come to St. Lucy’s: mental health counseling, life skills training, job coaching, connection to benefits and much more. Additionally, we operate a drop-in center where individuals can come in to eat a warm meal, shower, wash their clothes, and receive counseling.

WHY NOW

The operations of these programs are very expensive. Operating costs continue to grow, salaries and healthcare continue to rise, and inflation is hitting hard. Traditional funding sources from the City and County have never fully covered the costs, and every year we spend significant time raising funds to cover the sizable deficit. We need help to eliminate this annual hurdle.

“Saint Lucy’s helped me find safety and dignity when I had nowhere else to go.” …

TONI’S STORY

In August 2019 I lost my job as a counselor. When I couldn’t pay my rent, I lost my apartment. As a mother of three children, it was heartbreaking. Thankfully, my adult children were able to find housing. But I had no place to go. I went to St. Lucy’s Emergency Shelter. The staff was terrific: friendly, helpful, and nonjudgmental. They assured me Catholic Charities would provide me everything I needed to get me back on my feet and they did. They connected me to medical services, employment assistance, social security help, and eventually a voucher to help with my housing costs. Thanks to Catholic Charities, I was able to find a job and an apartment of my own, and I can stand on my own two feet. My experience filled my heart with hope. The facilities are clean, the staff was compassionate and explored every resource they could to help me. Even the other clients were kind and welcoming. At the hardest time in my life, I felt loved and supported. Now that I am stable, I decided I wanted to help St. Lucy’s as they helped me. I now volunteer twice a week at St. Lucy’s, and I am so grateful that I can help others on their journey.