Magdala House

10/10/2026

Today is World Homeless Day. At Magdala House’s emergency and transitional shelters, we support people working toward a job, a home and a fresh start.

A safe place to sleep and steady support give people room to take their next step. Your support helps make that possible.

Everyone has a story. Homelessness doesn’t have to be the ending.

To learn more about Magdala House, visit our website www.Magdala-House.org.

09/18/2026

We ended DSP Week with ice cream floats at the Adult Day Care Program. Jennifer Thompson, our Individualized Supportive Living (ISL) Director, wanted to do something for the staff who show up every day and put in the work, so leadership scooped and poured the floats themselves.

Thank you to our Direct Support Professionals. This week and every week, we appreciate you.

09/16/2026

This DSP Week, we asked supervisors across Magdala House to recognize a Direct Support Professional who goes above and beyond, and three names kept coming up: Tyshala Coleman, Tamara Cunningham, and Mico Marshall-Ford.

Meet them and see why their teams can't stop talking about them.

To these three, and to every DSP at Magdala House: thank you for the work you do.

09/14/2026

This week, we’re celebrating the people who help make dignity, growth and greater independence possible.

Every day, Magdala House’s Direct Support Professionals bring patience, encouragement and genuine care to individuals in our Individualized Supported Living and Adult Day Care programs. Whether they are helping someone develop a new skill, work toward a personal goal or enjoy everyday moments, their impact reaches far beyond hands-on support.

To every DSP on our team: We see the heart you bring to this work. We value your commitment, and we are deeply grateful for the difference you make every day.

09/09/2026

90 years of life. Nearly 60 years of service. One remarkable legacy.

Yesterday, we celebrated Magdala House President and CEO Thomas J. Mangogna on his 90th birthday and honored a lifetime dedicated to serving others.

Today, we invite you to hear from Mangogna himself.

In the video below, he accepts the Margaret Mead Award, recognizing his pioneering work in community corrections and his commitment to creating opportunities for people to successfully return to their communities.

His work began with Magdala House in 1968. Nearly six decades later, that commitment to dignity, opportunity and second chances remains part of the foundation of our work.

🎥 Take a few minutes to hear Mangogna tell the story in his own words.

Then, discover more about the man, the work and the legacy behind nearly 60 years of service.

👉 Read Thomas J. Mangogna’s story: https://bit.ly/4qVAbSL

09/08/2026

Happy 90th birthday to our President and CEO, Thomas J. Mangogna!

Fresh off accepting the Margaret Mead Award in Columbus, Ohio, Mangogna is celebrating another milestone this week, and this one is personal. If you caught our recent blog on his award, you already know the history he carries, from founding member to first Executive Director to the leader who came back to guide us today.

What that story doesn't always capture is the man himself: the sharp suits, the signature fedora, and someone who is just as at ease asking Siri to place a call as he is commanding a room. Those who know him well also know how much he loves cooking, whether it's feeding his own staff or gathering family around the table, especially over the holidays.

Join us in wishing Tom a very happy birthday. Ninety years in, and he is still showing up for people who need someone in their corner.

09/03/2026

This Labor Day, we're celebrating a different kind of labor: nearly sixty years of it.

On August 31, our President and CEO, Thomas J. Mangogna, received the 2026 Margaret Mead Award, the highest honor given by the International Community Justice Association, for a career that has shaped community justice work far beyond St. Louis.

In 1968, under his leadership, Magdala House opened one of the nation's first halfway house for formerly incarcerated women. A few years later, his work helped shape the national standards that halfway houses across the country still follow today. Since then, he's guided Magdala House through decades of growth, from AIDS-era outreach to today's full range of housing and support services right here in St. Louis.

"Whatever contribution I have made has never been mine alone," Mangogna said. "This recognition belongs to all of those who have shared in that work."

There's a lot more to his story. Read it here: https://bit.ly/4qVAbSL

08/25/2026

Kristin's joyful "Yay!" tells only part of her story.

For 41 years, Kristin has built friendships, helped others and found meaningful ways to participate at Magdala House.

Her mother, Bonnie, describes Magdala House as a garden where her daughter has been given room to blossom.

Read how lasting relationships and a true sense of belonging have shaped Kristin's journey.

https://bit.ly/4gQ4fMe

08/21/2026

Staying power does not mean remaining the same. It means remaining committed.

Before Magdala opened its doors in 1968, a determined group worked to fund a 25-bed halfway house for women returning to the community after incarceration.

As the needs of St. Louis changed, our work grew. Magdala expanded its services to support adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, people experiencing homelessness and others who were underserved, poorly served or not served at all.

The programs have changed over the years. The commitment has not.

For nearly six decades, Magdala House has continued showing up for people too often overlooked and creating opportunities for greater stability, independence and dignity.

This is more than our history. It is our promise to keep serving.

Learn more about our history:
https://www.magdala-house.org/history/

Learn about Magdala House, St. Louis’s first halfway house for women, and how our mission has grown to support adults with disabilities and those unhoused.

08/12/2026

Myth: People experiencing homelessness are lazy.

Truth: We've served professors, lawyers and teachers in our programs. People who worked, built careers and did everything "right."

Homelessness rarely starts with a bad choice. It can start with a missed paycheck, a rent increase or a diagnosis. Something ordinary that most people never see coming.

If it can happen to a professor, it can happen to anyone.

That's not a scare tactic. It's the truth we see every day.