Building a Sense of Home in Healthy Housing Tower
Candice, a Healthy Housing Tower case manager, shares how staff build community in the new program at the Peter & Paul Community Campus.
For someone who has experienced homelessness, a private room and a safe place to sleep can be life-changing. But finding a place to live is only the beginning. At Peter & Paul Community Services, the new Healthy Housing Tower program is working to create something more. It is building a place where residents can find support, build connections, and begin to feel at home.
“It gets greater later.”
That is one of the messages Healthy Housing Tower Case Manager Candice shares with residents. It is a reminder that where someone is today does not have to determine where they will be tomorrow.
Launched this year at the Peter & Paul Community Campus, Healthy Housing Tower provides supportive housing for people who have experienced chronic homelessness. Residents have a private room and bathroom, along with access to case management and support for physical and mental health needs.
But for the staff serving residents on this floor, creating stability means more than providing a room. It means creating community.
Finding Connection
Residents began moving in this spring. As they arrived, some of the first steps toward community have been simple ones.
At a group gathering, Candice asked residents if they had met one another. They had not, despite living just doors apart.
As residents introduced themselves and shared a little about their lives, something began to shift. Soon, Candice noticed them talking in the hallway. Residents who started as strangers began referring to one another as roommates and spending time together.
For people who have experienced the isolation that can come with homelessness, those connections can make a meaningful difference.
“Some people said they felt extremely isolated when they were unhoused,” Candicee said. “Now, they enjoy having somewhere safe to go, knowing the person next to them, and feeling comfortable.”
Candice and the Healthy Housing Tower team are working to create opportunities for residents to connect and build life skills. From group activities to shared meals and even a kitchen safety group. The goal is to help residents feel that they are part of a community, rather than simply living alongside one another.
“I want them to know, this is a safe place,” Candice said.
Healthy Housing Tower shared space for group activities.
The shared kitchen where staff work with residents to build life skills.
A private room on the Healthy Housing Tower floor.
Support That Shows Up
Healthy Housing Tower is designed to provide more than housing. Staff help residents connect with resources, work through challenges, and take steps toward greater stability after experiencing chronic homelessness.
For Candice, that starts with being available.
“I don’t want them to look at me only as a case manager,” she said. “I want them to see me as a resource who is here to assist them.”
Her approach is straightforward. If she does not know the answer, she will find someone who does.
“Everything is figure-out-able,” she said.
That support is especially important as residents adjust to a new environment and begin working toward their individual goals.
A welcome basket for a new resident, donated by generous volunteers with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
A Place to Begin Again
Healthy Housing Tower is still taking shape. As more residents move in, staff are learning everyone’s individual needs and finding new ways to help residents connect with one another.
A hallway conversation. Knowing the person next door. Feeling comfortable enough to knock on a case manager’s door. These small moments can each be the beginning of something bigger.
Because home is more than having a place to sleep. It is knowing you are safe, knowing someone will show up when you need help, and having the stability to begin looking toward what comes next.
For the residents of Healthy Housing Tower, that journey is just beginning.
“It gets greater later.”
And at Peter & Paul Community Services, we are here to help make that possible.
