Construction of a transitional housing facility to help people who are unhoused could begin as early as the end of October.
The Caritas House will be built on the site of the former Sacred Heart Catholic School, 201 Brierton Lane, in Festus and across from Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 555 Bailey Road, in Crystal City.
Father Michael Lydon, an episcopal vicar for the Archdiocese of St. Louis who is based in Festus, said the three-story, nearly 100-year-old school has been cleared out so that environmental mitigation could begin Monday. The school closed at the end of the 2005-2006 school year and merged with Our Lady Catholic School in Festus.
“The roof and the windows, in particular, have asbestos or lead in them, and need to be taken (out by) a company that specializes in environmental mitigation,” he said. “When they’re finished, the building itself will be demolished by another firm – taken to the ground and regraded in preparation for the erection of the Caritas House on the north end of the parking lot there by the Immanuel Lutheran Family Center.”
Lydon expects demolition to take place in September and October.
He said the Festus City Council still needs to approve the site plan. The council approved a conditional-use permit for the transitional housing facility in July 2025.
“By the latter part of October or early November, God-willing and weather-willing, we’ll be able to begin construction,” Lydon said.
He said Creative Designs for Decisive Minds and TMB Exteriors have been hired for construction.
“We have a lot of work to do in forming a board, our operational procedures and really deciding on the kind of hybrid that we want to create between the Bridge of Hope and the Assisi House models,” Lydon said.
He said they plan to model the Caritas House after the Bridge of Hope in Troy, which he helped to found, and also, the Assisi Houses in St. Louis.
Lydon said the hope is that Catholic Charities will manage Caritas House. Caritas means love of humanity and charity in Latin.
“It will be on the campus of Sacred Heart Parish and so the parish will lease that space for like a $1 a year or something to the Catholic Charities and then build the staff and partner with Compass, Chestnut, Mercy, Catholic Charities, of course, to help give our clients and residents case management for their particular life crises or their challenges that we need to help them with to negotiate a more secure and safer life,” he said.
Lydon said Caritas House will offer transitional housing for 15-20 people for up to 24 months. He said residents will pay rent that they can afford. The amount has not been determined.
“We will be able to take single men, single women, and one family, maybe two families, depending on how big the family is,” he said. “We’re constructing in such a way that the men and women will be segregated and kept safe from each other on the inside. We will have a common kitchen/dining area, washer and dryer.”
So far, $2.367 million has been raised for the project, Lydon said. He said that includes $817,000 from the Archdiocese of St. Louis, $150,000 in grants from the Jefferson Foundation, a $50,000 pledge from Incarnate Word Foundation, private donors and gifts, and $1 million earmarked in Missouri’s fiscal year budget under Department of Social Services.
“The $2.6 million that we want to raise would be for the demolition, construction of the new building, getting all furnishings inside and one year of operations,” he said.
As for annual operating costs, Lydon said it is currently a big estimate of between $350,000-$650,000, depending on how it is staffed.
He said the late Bill McKenna, a former state senator and longtime Jefferson County advocate, was a strong proponent for the project, as was Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski. He said they have established relationships with the James II Project and Chestnut Health Systems, which will help identify people who are suitable clients.
Compass Health Network officials said it is in support of Caritas House and its efforts to strengthen access to essential services in the community.
“Through our locations in Festus and throughout Jefferson County, Compass will help provide access to medical, dental and behavioral health services,” said Katrina McDonald-Fuller, executive vice president of corporate services at Compass. “We are proud to support Caritas House and work together to ensure individuals and families can connect with the care they need.”
Mercy officials also said it plans to support the mission.
“Our mission and community health teams at Mercy Jefferson have been working closely with Father Lydon and Catholic Charities throughout the planning process for Caritas House,” said Amie Koenen, executive director of mission integration for Mercy. “Their work is deeply aligned with our Mercy mission to care for the poor and vulnerable. While our plans for working with Caritas House aren’t in place yet, we hope it will be similar to how Mercy supports such projects in other communities, like with Bridge of Hope in Troy, Missouri, where Mercy helps connect their clients with the community support they need.”