The Caleb Group

When the housing crisis gets urgent enough, communities find each other. The Wall Street Journal recently covered convents in New York City renting rooms to single women at a fraction of market rent — a quiet, practical arrangement that works for everyone involved. Religious communities with space. Women who need a safe, affordable place to land. No new construction required. Solving the housing supply challenge will take exactly this kind of creative thinking.

In New York City, where the median asking rent hit $3,616 in the first quarter this year, some young professionals are turning to convents to manage on a starting salary.

Sacred Heart, in Chelsea, charged Katie Rettig, 32, around $1,650 a month when she first arrived in New York and needed a place to live. Her next convent, St. Mary’s Residence on the Upper East Side, ran her around $1,200 a month.

Other residences include St. Agnes Residence on the Upper West Side, which starts at around $950 a month, and Centro Maria in the Bronx, which charges around $800 a month. Most houses accept non-Christian residents and don’t require any religious practice.

“Nuns are awesome,” Rettig said. “They be chilling.”

They do come with rules. Some have curfews of 11 p.m. or midnight. Women’s houses bar male visitors from the rooms, and the same usually goes for alcohol.

At Centro Maria, five sisters live alongside their 21 residents in a four-story red-brick building. Each morning the nuns, some of them in their 90s, cook breakfast for the house–a variety of pancakes, eggs, sausage, fruits and juice. They clean the building and host parties so residents can get to know each other. A karaoke machine sits in the dining room and the nuns sometimes join the singing.

“I love living with the girls. They keep me young,” Sister Rita, one of the nuns, said.

🔗 Read more: https://on.wsj.com/3QGQy85

This is what community looks like.
When the Resident Service Coordinator at Xavier House noticed a new resident was sleeping on the floor, she did not wait. She reached out to Corpus Christi Food Pantry & Assistance, Inc. in Nashua, and without hesitation, Financial Assistant Director Susan arranged for a new mattress — delivered to his door, chosen by him at Mark's Furniture & Bedding.
That resident will sleep in a real bed tonight. That is the power of people showing up for each other.
The Caleb Group is grateful to work alongside so many dedicated community partners in the Nashua area.

What a terrific day in Madison, CT! We were proud to have our Executive Director, Shawn Smitley, join HOPE Partnership and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) for a tour of HOPE's properties — a powerful example of community-based affordable housing in action. The Wellington project reflects what is possible when mission-driven partners work together. Grateful for this partnership and the momentum it represents.
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@[HOPE Partnership] @[Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)]

Happy Pride!!!

June is Pride Month — a time to celebrate, reflect, and reaffirm our commitment to welcoming everyone. At The Caleb Group, safe and stable housing is a foundation for a good life. We believe that foundation belongs to every person, regardless of who they are or who they love. To our LGBTQ+ residents, staff, and neighbors: you are seen, valued, and home here.