Art therapy can help heal the body and mind by providing a constructive outlet for self-expression. That’s why an art therapy program has always been an important piece of the healing process for residents at Joseph & Mary’s Home – part of caring for the whole person. Mary’s Home resident Janet spent multiple years in and out of shelter. She’s finally in an environment where she is medically healing and now able to plan for her future. She enjoys tapping into her creative side and has been participating in the art therapy program.
The Land, a local nonprofit news organization that reports on Cleveland’s neighborhoods, recently published an article about Joseph & Mary’s Home and the launch of a campaign to raise money to renovate and relocate its facility for men. To support this transformational project, the “A New Home for Healing” Campaign has a goal of raising $2.5 million.
Signal Cleveland published an article today about the work Joseph & Mary's Home does in helping people experiencing homelessness who need a space and time to recover from medical treatment, and how the population served is easy to overlook. “We see people without a lot of choices. Housing for our population is our healthcare,” said Executive Director Beth Graham in the article.
Another layer of the housing crisis: helping homeless in need of respite care
Joseph & Mary’s Home provides temporary housing for people experiencing homelessness who need a space and time to recover from medical treatment.
People experiencing homelessness who need respite care following a hospital stay are easy to overlook. But that’s the population Joseph & Mary’s Home is serving.
Located on the grounds of a former Catholic grade school in the city’s Central neighborhood, Joseph & Mary’s Home provides temporary housing for people who need a space and time to recover. The facility, which has 11 beds for men and 10 beds for women, doesn’t provide medical treatment. It offers a private bed, meals, social work, medical and nursing supervision, and education about their conditions and medications.
“We see people without a lot of choices,” said Beth Graham, executive director of the Joseph & Mary’s Home. “Housing for our population is our healthcare.”
I toured Joseph & Mary’s Home this week because Signal Cleveland is examining many angles of the housing crisis through our ongoing series, the Housing Squeeze.
The average length of stay at the facility is 73 days, Graham said. A big part of the program’s work is trying to find permanent housing for people. Graham admits that finding housing, especially for low-income people, is tough. She noted she is seeing some landlords place larger hurdles, including double deposits, before potential renters as a way to keep some people out.
The population experiencing homelessness is also aging, which adds a new level of complexity to finding housing options.
One of the ministries of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Augustine and the Sisters of Charity Health System, Joseph & Mary’s Home is about to begin construction to relocate and renovate a space for men on the grounds. Though Joseph & Mary’s Home is not adding additional beds, the new space will be fully handicapped accessible and easier to manage for the aging people it serves. With $1.95 million of its $2.5 million goal already in hand, Joseph & Mary’s Home expects to open the new facility next summer.
Joseph & Mary’s Home, Cleveland’s only provider of post-hospital medical respite care for people experiencing homelessness, will begin construction in July to renovate and relocate its facility for men. To support this transformational project, “A New Home for Healing” Campaign has a goal of $2.5 million. To date, a total of $1.95 million has been raised, and Joseph & Mary’s Home is excited to announce a matching gift of $150,000 from the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine to inspire community support.
Stanley Foster has long been drawn to the healing profession. Today, he uses his experience with recovery to help others on their recovery journeys as a peer recovery supporter at Joseph & Mary’s Home. He began working in the Sisters of Charity Health System as a chemical dependency counselor at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in 2016. He became certified as a peer supporter in 2022 through the ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County and its OhioMAS Peer Recovery Supporter training.
The recent issue of The Journey, the biannual newsletter of Joseph & Mary’s Home, features a cover article about how we are adapting to serve a growing population of older adults experiencing housing instability. The newsletter also reports on outcomes and financials from 2023, a donor spotlight on a couple with a giving spirit, the 2023 donor honor roll, a staff spotlight and news updates.
Elaine has held many jobs throughout her life, including running a rescue farm and caring for horses for 18 years. COVID, a number of health issues and a series of unfortunate events changed that. After spending more than three years at a shelter, Elaine came to Mary’s Home to recover from COPD exacerbation. After stabilizing her health, Joseph & Mary’s Home staff connected her to permanent housing. With a place to call home, she was able to return to caring for animals, adopting a pet rabbit she named Precious Bunny. Both Elaine and Precious Bunny are enjoying all the space and natural light that her new apartment offers.
Executive Director Beth Graham wrote a year-in-review letter to share reflections on 2023 at Joseph & Mary’s Home and where the ministry is headed in 2024 and beyond.
Many individuals and organizations touched the lives of Joseph & Mary’s Home residents this year by providing everything from daily essentials like toiletries, bedding and towels, to warm winter coats and hats. These gifts help us welcome new residents and meet their basic needs. We are also very grateful to all the donors who made Thanksgiving and Christmas extra special.
People experiencing homelessness who need respite care following a hospital stay are easy to overlook. But that’s the population Joseph & Mary’s Home is serving.