St. Francis Center Does the Extraordinary

Writer: Amelia Kegan, Friends Committee on National Legislation

Amelia Kegan of the the Friends Committee on National Legislation speaks at the press conference and rally following the Nuns on the Bus & Friends site visit to the St. Francis Center in Redwood, CA on Oct. 17.

The Nuns on the Bus & Friends “Vote Our Future” tour has featured many examples of ordinary people doing the extraordinary. One example is the St. Francis Center in Redwood City, California.  

St. Francis Center embodies a holistic approach to their work. They have food and clothing ministry programs, emphasizing dignity for all their clients. The clothing program is designed like a shopping experience for the clients like a typical department store. Northern California has some of the highest rents in the country. The St. Francis Center has eight apartment buildings with 135 affordable housing units. But food, shelter, and clothing alone are not enough for a thriving community. 

The St. Francis Center also boasts a youth center and a school, transforming a neighborhood once plagued by gang and drug activity to a place where kids are mentored and safe. St. Francis invests in the parents as well. Parents do not pay tuition for their children to attend the Holy Family School. Instead, parents must dedicate one day a week to their own education, whether English lessons, completing a GED, taking classes at a local college, or completing a certificate program.

Many of the graduating 8th graders get full scholarships to local private high schools, going on to study at university while their parents are able to get higher paying jobs. This approach of investing in kids and their families, beyond just basic needs, but also education and professional development, while creating welcoming communities and a sense of belonging, really works. St. Francis Center is the proof. 

But the St. Francis Center is one small organization, and the need is far too big. The Holy Family School can only host two grades at a time. Thus, once a class graduates from the 8th grade, only then can a new kindergarten class begin. Thus, many families only have one child attending the school while the other attends the local public school. Similarly, low-income affordable housing is in such high demand that their waiting lists are long.  

The St. Francis School community generously shared delicious tacos with Nuns on the Bus & Friends!

Even if St. Francis Center was able to expand to a full K-12 school with all grades operating every year, and even if they were able to acquire and build more affordable housing units, the need is still too great for this one organization to fill. 

We saw this again and again on our site visits throughout the Southwest. Private charities and nonprofit organizations around the country are doing an amazing job addressing the needs in the communities, but they don’t have sufficient resources to fully meet the needs or address root causes. 

We need to address the underlying structural barriers that create food insecurity, housing instability, joblessness, and poor wages, and that requires public policy.  

We have a real affordable housing crisis in this country. We heard this issue come up again and again throughout the bus tour. Too many people have wages that are too low, causing families to miss meals and rely on food pantries. Others lack the education or training required for a better paying job.  

Who we elect matters because the policies they enact and the public investments they make matter. It’s important that voters cast their ballots in favor of candidates who will prioritize addressing the needs of those struggling the most in our society. This means pushing for policies like paid family leave, expanding the Child Tax Credit, investing in child nutrition programs, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, in affordable housing, education and training, public transit, as well as removing barriers for families to access programs that will enable them fully flourish so that everyone can thrive, no exceptions. 

This reflection is from the 2024 Nuns on the Bus & Friends bus rider blog.