Guardian Angel Settlement Association has been devoted to serving children since before the Civil War.  Today, highly trained staff and volunteers provide developmental childcare to help children in poverty get off to a good start.

St. Vincent’s Vision Fuels Staying Power

Guardian Angel Settlement Association celebrates 150 years of service

Guardian Angel Settlement Association is a place where poor young mothers can find support, the elderly can find social and spiritual sustenance, and children living in poverty can find a nurturing place to grow. These services to the poor are common, but the agency that has been providing them continuously for 150 years is not.

Serving the residents of inner city St. Louis since 1859, it is accurate to say Guardian Angel Settlement Association is an institution. But “institution” implies something cold and impersonal, and nothing could be further from the truth.

“For the people who work here, their job is not a paycheck, it’s a mission. Our employees are people who want their lives to make a difference in other people’s lives. That charism shows in everything we do,” says Executive Director Father Edward Murphy, CM.

The term “settlement house” might sound old fashioned, but the philosophy of service behind it is core to Guardian Angel Settlement Association’s mission and longevity. Fr. Murphy explains, “Settlement houses began in Britain in the 19th century. Charity at the time consisted mainly of the wealthy giving to the poor, but never having any contact with them. In contrast, the idea of settlement houses was to establish a physical base in a community of need, and to live among those being served.”

Guardian Angel Settlement Association, originally known as the House of the Guardian Angel, was founded by the Daughters of Charity as a home for immigrant and orphaned girls just before the Civil War. Certainly much has changed since then, but the organization has maintained unusual focus on its fundamentals: serving inner city St. Louis, the needs of children, and the mission of St. Vincent de Paul.

Although now governed by a non-sectarian board of directors, the agency’s charter requires two Daugh­ters of Charity and two Vincentians to serve on the board at all times. Fr. Murphy is only the second executive director who is not a Daughter of Charity.

“In addition to Vincentian leadership, our devotion to children has continued throughout our history. We also have remained focused geographically. We have not broadened our scope, but rather redefined and perfected programs to serve the same area where we began,” says Fr. Murphy.

The agency serves children living in poverty by providing developmental child care, an important service that is in short supply. “Our average client is a single mom with three children, and 80 percent of our childcare clients make less than $10,000 annually. They must be working or enrolled in school to participate, and they pay what they can,” says Fr. Murphy.

Through Hosea House, Guardian Angel Settlement Association also provides an array of social services to families, seniors and individuals: emergency and direct assistance, transportation and social opportunities for seniors, a food pantry, a youth employment program, a thrift store, and a variety of programs for youth.

The mission of Guardian Angel Settlement Association is to serve the poor by helping them improve the quality of their lives and achieve economic independence. “We are constantly asking, ‘How can we be of help?’ Our services these days are more in demand than ever. So many people are living on the edge of disaster all the time. One small need can send them into panic – such as needing school supplies,” says Fr. Murphy.

Being able to expand services in troubled times is a rewarding way to celebrate Guardian Angel Settlement Association’s 150th anniversary this year. In October, the agency will hold a ribbon cutting for its new home on the city’s north side, near St. Louis University and Cardinal Ritter Catholic High School. It is the first home built by Guardian Angel Settlement in its history, and it will enable the agency to serve 30 percent more children with childcare and after-school programs. The grounds also will include a 7000-square-foot community garden for learning and gardening programs for all ages.

“The focus of all our efforts is to create greater capacity,” says Kristen Williamson, director of development, who has led the $4 million capital campaign for the building.

A successful capital campaign? A new building? In this economy? Yes, yes, and yes.

“The staff occasionally gets tired of me saying, ‘When you’re doing the right work, you’ll get the help you need.’ But the capital campaign is an excellent example of that,” says Fr. Murphy.

“Part of what we do is connect our donors with our work. Giving someone a meal on Thanksgiving will not change his life. But it might change the life of the volunteer who serves it. It is transformational when volunteers, donors and clients all talk to each other,” says Fr. Murphy. “At the heart of St. Vincent’s message is once you’ve seen the face of the poor, you’re touched. When you meet a poor person, poverty is no longer just an idea – it’s real and it’s personal.”

Guardian Angel Settlement Association’s success in making that connection is one secret to its longevity. “The agency’s faithfulness to the call to serve the poor is what has sustained us. By keeping our mission first, we’ve been able to get support from the greater community. People want
to know that money is going where it’s needed. They believe in us. We provide a structure for them to participate in a great thing,” Fr. Murphy says.

Another key to the agency’s long history is the successful connection between it and the people it serves. Fr. Murphy says, “I think what is distinctive about us is we don’t think of the people we serve as ‘clients’ but as ‘partners.’ We’re interested in helping them get where they want to go.”

For example, the agency puts dignity first in all its programs by providing a helping hand, but not a hand out. Even in cases of extreme poverty, parents pay what they can for childcare. The Christmas program features not a gift box of needed items, but a store where people can shop for their loved ones from donated items.

“After 150 years, people trust us,” says Fr. Murphy. “And that gives us the capacity to help them achieve their goals. We intend to be around for another 150 years, using the vision of St. Vincent de Paul to bring people together in service to the poor.”

In October, Guardian Angel Settlement Association will move into a new building that will house consolidated and expanded services.  Successfully connecting donors, volunteers, and clients helped the Association conduct a successful capital campaign in spite of tough economic times.