St. Francis Shelter

St. Francis Shelter is the largest unrestricted provider of shelter housing for homeless families with children under age 18 in Marion and Polk Counties.

St. Francis Shelter provides a safe place for homeless families to recover from trauma, heal, and stabilize before finding permanent housing. Many of our families are coming from difficult circumstances: foster care, substance abuse and recovery, domestic violence, and an increasing number due to rising rents and Salem’s housing crisis

Our program has three major components – shelter housing, affordable/low-income housing, and referrals to other community services. 15 units of our 20-unit building are devoted to transitional housing where families can live for up to six months. These fully furnished units are a safe place for our families to recover and work on their individual barriers. Each family receives individualized case management services and access to the skills trainings and life-skills supports they need to move into permanent housing. Our families stay with us, on average, for about 5 months and 95% of them move into permanent housing!