St Francis House was established in 1980 by Father Baker.  His goal was to provide the basic necessities to help the impovervished and hungry in his community.

Mission Statement: The overall mission of St. Francis House is to provide emergency food, temporary shelter, transitional housing, and related support services in a safe, secure environment for people in the Alachua County region.  Who, for whatever reason, find themselves confronted with homelessness and hunger.

Our clients have access to shelter, meals, restrooms, laundry facilities, hygiene supplies, phone and mail services, case management services, as well as other support services.  We serve as a base of operations for the homeless as they work with a case manager to help establish goals and a timeline to help them get back on their feet and secure permanent housing.  

Our programs include the following: 1) Soup Kitchen: We provide our 35 residents three meals a day and lunch is provided everyday to many additional clients.  In 2010, we provided 74,000 meals.  2) Emergency Shelter: We provide temporary, emergency shelter for 35 individuals and/or their families.  We also provide up to 60 additional beds during severe weather nights.  3) Transitional Housing Program: We have 3 houses that serve as transitional housing for families with children. 4) Sunrise Residence Inn: Our 33 efficiency apartment units allow us to provide permanent housing for single, homeless, working, men and women. 5) Case Management: Our case managers work with residents in all of our housing programs. Case management is implemented through an individualized case plan, which is designed to address basic needs such as job placement, education, permanent housing, and other needs. We also provide referrals to other local community resources as needed. In 2010, 37% of employable shelter residents found gainful employment. 58% of clients found housing.     

In order to continue to provide basic need services to our clients, we need your help. We've helped so many people write their own success stories. They are made possible through our continuing efforts in providing basic necessities to homeless men, women, and children in our community .You can be a part of our success through making a tax deductible donation to help your fellow neighbors in need.