Give. Learn. Engage. Carpenter House Rebuilds

STORY BY DAWN KLAVON | PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF CARPENTER HOUSE

Alexandria's Carpenter House has served the community since 1988, offering shelter to the most under-resourced residents in the community. Clients have low incomes and the majority face the challenges of job loss, reduced work hours, accumulated debt, domestic violence, lack of family support, mental illness, substance abuse, prior incarceration or history of eviction.

"Our mission is to help those experiencing homelessness to achieve sustainable independence through shelter, guidance, education and advocacy," Smith says.

Carpenter's Shelter works toward racial equity in housing by sheltering, stabilizing and transitioning residents into sustainable, independent lives and advocating for more affordable housing in the community.

A Cold Night, A Warm Bed

The shelter's mission began in 1982 on a cold winter night when Father Tony Casey of Blessed Sacrament Church in Alexandria found a man sleeping in his car and another asleep in the doorway of the church. Casey welcomed the two men into the church and allowed them to spend the night. The next night, the men came back.

Blessed Sacrament's basement provided shelter to those in need during the winter for six years until the day the building was torn down. With the shelter gone and the demand growing for beds, a small group of dedicated individuals founded Carpenter's Shelter in 1988. With the help of two volunteers and ten cots, Casey opened the church's basement to those needing shelter from harsh winter weather.