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St. Louis Jesuit priest Father Charles Dismas Clark opened the country’s first halfway house for men, Dismas House, in 1959. Inspired by his work, the founders of Magdala Foundation set out to open the country’s first halfway house for women. Before the doors opened in 1968, this determined team raised funds to purchase a home in Lafayette Square. With help from local businesses, the community, and grants, the house was renovated and its 25 beds filled with women eager for a second chance. The halfway house ran for several years and served more than 1,500 women.
As word spread within the penal system, Magdala’s reputation grew, and it became known as an organization that truly cared for its residents. That reputation brought letters from male prisoners asking Magdala to build a program for them too. At the time, Dismas House was the only halfway house for men in St. Louis, and it received more applications than it could handle. Magdala stepped in to help, housing former male inmates as well, and went on to open three more halfway houses for men.
Magdala Foundation’s growth continued. What began as a safe place for ex-offenders grew into parallel work with the mental health community. We knew our residents carried real trauma, and new resources let us offer counseling to people dealing with mental illness, whether they lived in our homes or on the streets.
That work led Magdala to another community that wasn’t being served: adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Building on its track record, Magdala added housing for this community, along with programs in substance abuse counseling, family counseling, parent training, and crisis intervention.
Magdala has always made itself available to people who weren’t being served, were underserved, or were being served poorly. Over the years, we expanded our services to include family counseling, support for those struggling with substance abuse, care for survivors of sexual abuse, and support for people living with HIV/AIDS. Along the way, Magdala Foundation became Magdala House, a new name for the same mission.
Today, we offer a full continuum of care for St. Louis’s homeless population: emergency shelter at Biddle House, transitional housing at Tiny Homes (including our Jefferson Spaces site), and rapid rehousing at Hammond Apartments. We also serve adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities through Individualized Supported Living (ISL) and our Adult Day program, along with substance abuse support services.
Throughout our history, Magdala has always cared for people. We’re working hard to restart some of our past programs, strengthen the ones we run today, and build new ones for tomorrow. Stay tuned for what’s ahead for Magdala House, and for how we’re working to make the St. Louis community stronger.
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