St. Mary's Center took the crisis of needing to move from its former site and turned it into an opportunity to have a permanent home. The idea hit a chord with donors and helped to create a vision of a village to better reach the needs of homeless and isolated seniors and preschool children in downtown and West Oakland.

• The Board of Directors entered into a lease with option to purchase the former St. Andrew/St. Joseph church facility in August, 2006.
  
  
• Within three months, St. Mary's had renovated three buildings - Senior Services/Administration, Community Center and Preschool.
  
  
• In Spring 2007, the Center secured a loan for the property immediately adjacent to the Preschool. Renovations began in December of that year on what would become a new way to stabilize the lives of homeless seniors.
  
  

• In June, 2008 St. Mary's had instituted a new program - Closer to Home - a six bed transitional house for seniors needing a step between the shelter and permanent housing.
  
  
• In November, 2008 St. Mary's purchased the Senior Services/Administration Building, Community Center and Preschool and began development on a beautiful courtyard and garden.
  
  

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These improvements and acquisitions better equipped us to serve a population that is falling through the cracks of our social systems. Now we have private counseling offices, a commercial grade kitchen, showers for shelter guests, a larger preschool with a license to serve more children and a six bed transitional housing program for seniors with no where else to turn.

The current project to develop a Courtyard and Garden will provide an "outdoor living room" to homeless seniors seeking safe respite from the streets. The vegetable garden will help supplement our food program and give an opportunity for seniors to work the earth. The additional landscaped parking is an amenity appreciated by the hundreds of volunteers who work at the Center each year.

This "Courtyard project" will cost $525,000 and is expected to be completed in April, 2009. At this point as additional $66,000 is needed to complete it. We are most grateful for the work of Conversional Management Associates as project manager during the renovation and courtyard phase of this effort. They have given hundreds of hours of in-kind support and expertise to help ensure our success.

To date the St. Mary's Center Village project has raised $6,556,000 from individuals, foundations, government, community groups and corporations. An additional $444,000 is needed to complete the purchase of the Transitional Housing and the courtyard project.

If you would like a tour of the facility, please call Executive Director Carol Johnson at (510) 923-9600 x 223. Gifts can be given by check, credit, stock and legacy. There is an option to give directly on a secure website on our home page.