Catholic Charities and the Future

After the senior center was moved from the building into a new location, several different groups called the space home.  Most recently, the gymnasium was utilized by the Jefferson City Parks and Recreation Department, while the chapel was utilized for theatre shows by Capital City Productions. 

In February of 2019 the Jefferson City Housing Authority, which now owned the building, put out a request for proposals to the community for the redevelopment of the property.  Catholic Charities, recognizing the opportunity that such a space would represent for delivering services to those in need, submitted a proposal that was ultimately accepted.  The proposal calls for the creation of a multi-service health and social welfare center with a variety of programming options.  A generous grant from the SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital Foundation funded Catholic Charities purchase of the building.

Future plans call for the inclusion of a client choice food pantry, universal exam rooms for health care providers to utilize for screenings and other basic health services, classroom space for various programs, and the inclusion of Catholic Charities current services, including disaster recovery, housing and financial counseling, and immigration services.

Architectural Renderings courtesy of Simon Oswand Architecture

A central tenet of Catholic Social Teaching is care for God's creation.  We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation. Care for the earth is not just an Earth Day slogan, it is a requirement of our faith. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation. This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored.

To this end, Catholic Charities new home will be a near net-zero building.  This means that we will produce nearly as much sustainable energy on the site as we consume in a given year.  We will achieve this through a high-efficency geothermal HVAC system, combined with solar panels installed on covered parking structures (an example is illustrated below).

We are proud of our efforts to care for creation and believe that the long-term financial and environmental benefits of our sustainability efforts will be a tremendous assest to Catholic Charities, those we serve, and our community.