Idea of a Human Services Center is Taking Shape

Father Carl Morello visits the former St. Catherine-St. Lucy Rectory | Karie Angel Luc

Can the St. Catherine-St. Lucy rectory on Austin Boulevard be repurposed as a human services center for the Austin neighborhood?

This was the question Father Carl Morello, Pastor of the Oak Park Catholic Parishes, posed to parishioners Dan Doody and Jack Crowe in late 2022. Dan and Jack quickly recruited a team of 13 volunteers to start researching the feasibility of such a plan. This included connecting to more than 40 nonprofits in the area, surveying families at St. Catherine-St. Lucy and several Austin neighborhood schools, and assessing the rectory building for needed upgrades.

The team was happily surprised that nearly all the nonprofits they spoke to were excited about the idea—many are seeking better ways to service families from Austin and describing the area of central west Austin as a “human services desert.”

The idea that began to emerge was to create a center that would partner with area human services providers to provide on-site access to the most needed services. Participants would be referred to an offsite partner for needs that cannot be provided there.

The building assessment found that the rectory has strong bones but needs much work. A basic upgrade to plumbing, electrical, and HVAC will run $500,000. Creating a welcoming, ADA-accessible, and fully functioning space for nonprofits, with individual and group rooms and essential office space, will run $1.6 million.

The next step is to hold public forums in Oak Park and the surrounding communities, as well as Austin to explain the concept and recruit volunteers to help move the project forward.