CDH Offers Space for Project Home Throughout July with Support of Faculty and Students

Mr. Joe Miley, Learning Specialist, Campus Minister
September 12, 2018

Since 2001, Cretin-Derham Hall has served as an emergency overnight shelter for Project Home, an organization based in St. Paul that engages area faith communities to provide shelter space and volunteer support for Ramsey County families facing homelessness. 


Each July, CDH turns our Commons into a shelter for these families. This ministry would not be possible without the compassionate service of CDH students and community members.

Each evening, CDH students, faculty, and community members help to keep the shelter running smoothly by being present for our guests, accommodating their needs, and entertaining the children in the gym or on the playing fields.

Overnight adult volunteers provide assistance and support until the next morning when the families head to The Family Place in downtown St. Paul for the day.

CDH’s involvement with Project Home has had a lasting impact on many people who have had the opportunity to serve and minister to the families in need. Faculty member Jesse Cusick, who has volunteered with the shelter for years and has been a supervisor the past two summers, believes that this ministry aligns perfectly with the mission and values of Cretin-Derham Hall. “As Christians,” he noted, “we are called to serve the poor. How we treat and minister to those on the margins is a basic moral test for society.”  

He has also taken the time to observe CDH students serving with Project Home. “Many of our students may never have quite the same opportunity to interact with the poor. Project Home allows them to become acquainted with the poor and realize that, regardless of the situation people are in, they are able to make connections. People are people. The kids are kids,” Cusick reflected.

Although CDH only hosts Project Home in July, the ministry runs year-round, moving to other locations nearby, including St. Mark’s in August and Fairmount Avenue United Methodist in September.