Magnificat Houses, Inc.

Adhere to the teachings of Christ by applying Christian Principals in our efforts:
To feed the hungry.
To give drink to the thirsty.
To clothe the naked.
To Shelter the Homeless
To visit the sick.
To visit the imprisoned
To bury the dead.

By providing healing environments:
• Housing — including emergency, transitional and longer-term housing for Houston’s homeless adults.
• Loaves & Fishes Soup Kitchen — 350-400 hot meals served, 6 days a week, free of charge, and no questions asked, to anyone who needs a meal
• Mental health Clubhouse — voluntary free day program for adults with mental health diagnoses, empowering members through a work-ordered day, engendering self-worth and self-reliance.

MHI has property and facilities, and volunteers.

1 soup kitchen
1 mental health clubhouse
1 resale shop (for vocational training and revenue)
1 intake and admissions center
14 residential structures across Houston, primarily located in the mid-town area (77004), available as needed to diverse populations.
The houses are maintained by resident managers, and meals are prepared by a resident cook, thereby using infrastructure, human resources and community.
The facilities and properties are maintained by an in-house maintenance crew that answers to a Director of Operations. For larger jobs, the maintenance manager will interface with the board of directors and contractors.
MHI cultivates an extensive external volunteer base, catalyzing community impact: in 2022 alone, 2692 volunteers contributed their time and talents at Loaves & Fishes Soup Kitchen.

Many have passed through our doors to a brighter future since we began in 1968. MHI has provided homes for tens of thousands, and food for millions of those who have passed through Loaves & Fishes and our housing programs. Many have left our program and never looked back.

Unfortunately it is not a perfect world where we can show 100% success. Many of our residents will need a third or fourth chance in our program before they are able to become self reliant.

St Joseph Clubhouse is the first accredited mental health clubhouse in the state of Texas. Since we helped open that door, we have created a sister clubhouse, and have helped gain accreditation for others across the state. That said, we are unique. Many clubhouses will see 2-3% of their population come from prison... St Joseph's rate will climb over 15% regularly. Some others will have homeless members occasionally, while we have 40% of our regular members come from the streets on a weekly basis... at that rate, they have trouble focusing on self improvement and the principle of the work ordered day, but instead are thinking of their safety that evening, and wondering how to get their next meal. International Clubhouse guru Ralph Milby noted that we have the best turnout of the most impoverished, on the lowest budget of comparable programs. We could not have expressed the situation better.

Magnificat does not aim to solve societal problems of homelessness and poverty, or even mental health. We aim to minister to the needs of the other, as taught by the Christian faith and demanded by the basic dignity of our human condition. Through this, we may actually solve the problem... not by the top down, but from the bottom up.