SPOKANE WASHINGTON – In an interview, Pope Francis one said, “I do not know if we will be able to make a world without poverty, because sin is always there and leads to selfishness. But we must always fight, always.” In the spirit of Pope Francis, Catholic Charities Spokane is fighting for a world without poverty.
Last year, Catholic Charities in Spokane, Washington spent 10.2 million dollars building a 51 unit apartment complex. The tenets of the complex are families struggling with homelessness. The name of the complex? Pope Francis Haven.
The property is within walking distance to transportation, banks, shops, schools, and restaurants. The two and three bedroom units come with brand new kitchens, access to a community building and events, a computer room and playground for the littlest of those who call Pope Francis Haven home. The bedrooms even come with brand new beds in them already thanks to a generous donation from a local Mormon church.
A clubhouse geared to youth includes fitness equipment, an indoor rock-climbing wall, and a place for residents to study after school. The complex includes three apartment buildings, each with three floors.
In addition to housing, Pope Francis Haven also provides tenets with a variety of life skill classes. These include learning about healthy eating, responsible budgeting and other skills. The classes are taught at the apartment complex so everyone has access to them.
Just three short weeks after opening the complex, half of the units at Pope Francis Haven are already full. In order to keep the funding that they were given to help build the complex, the apartments. Rob McCann, the Catholic Charities Spokane executive director, told the Spokane Review that funding came from tax credits and state funding through its trust fund. He doesn’t think they’ll have any problem filling the last of the apartment rooms, and he’s excite to see the fast response. ““It shows you the need,” he said in an interview this week.
New residents at Pope Francis Haven couldn’t be happier. Linda Nelson, who lives at the complex with her husband and three kids, told the Spokane Review that the Pope Francis Haven is an answered prayer. “This place is an absolute blessing,” she said in an interview.
Pope Francis Haven is the first building in the United States named after Pope Francis – we think that he’d approve.
