June 13 – NEW LONDON – After 25 years of community support, the St. Francis House group will pass its Broad Street buildings next month to a new group of owners who pledged to continue the Christian group’s commitment to social justice and neighborly outreach .
Ownership of the homes at 30 and 32 Broad St., which have housed indigent residents for decades, will be transferred in July to the organizations Southeastern Connecticut Community Land Trust and Hearing Youth Voices, said Anne Scheibner, co-founder of St. Francis House.
The land trust, which operates out of the 32 Broad St. building, or “Victory House,” will undertake a yearlong renovation of both homes before Hearing Youth Voices moves in.
St. Francis House was founded in 1999 as an “intentional Christian community” by Scheibner and her late husband, the Rev. Emmett Jarrett. Over the years, more than 50 people have lived, prayed and meditated in the rooms at different times.
Several prominent city groups, including the Homeless Hospitality Center, FRESH New London, the community land trust, The Drop-In Learning Center and Hearing Youth Voices, can trace their roots to the discussions that started in the living room, library and meeting rooms at the Broad Street houses.
Recently, the number of residents staying in the homes has dropped to six people who will now move to another home by June 30, Scheibner said.
“It just felt like time,” said Scheibner, who plans to move back to her native Stonington as she and the group’s Board of Directors consider next steps for the nonprofit. “It’s a joy to have it transformed in this way.”
Mirna Martinez, executive director of the community land trust, said her group will use a combination of the city’s COVID-19 pandemic relief funds and other money to renovate both buildings starting in August.
Maya Sheppard, executive director of Hearing Youth Voices, a grassroots organization committed to advancing the racial, economic and gender justice goals of the city’s Black and brown youth, said her group has been operating for the past eight years from a location on State Street.
“In the twelve years since the group’s founding, we have seen our membership grow and wanted to expand our programming to include a residential component,” Sheppard said.
She said the layout of St. Francis House buildings, with their bedrooms, kitchens and communal areas, is a perfect fit for the new program, which will provide a safe and nurturing living environment for 18 to 24-year-olds.
“We want to provide a space where these young people can learn and develop, to get advice on their next steps,” Sheppard said.
Martinez, who called the work of the St. Francis House “critical” to the city and its residents, said she is excited to play a role in the evolution of the buildings and the continuation of the founders’ ethos.
St. Francis House will host a 25th anniversary celebration at Williams Memorial Park on June 22 from noon to 4 p.m.
j.penney@theday.com
