Categories: Member News
12.23.2024
Sadly, on December 20th, our community lost the last of the ‘fathers of supportive housing’: Father John McVean of St. Francis Friends of the Poor. Father McVean along with Father John Felice created the very first supportive housing residence, what came to be known as St. Francis 1. His legacy is enormous, having spurred a model of safe dignified housing that, in the 44 years since its inception has now grown to homes for more than 62,000 individuals and families.
He was mourned on January 8th by friends and long-time colleagues as well as tenants and co-workers. St. Francis Friends of the Poor Executive Director Christina Byrne said “Fr. John McVean's vision of dignity and stability for the most vulnerable has forever transformed lives and reshaped what is possible in supportive housing. It is a privilege and a profound responsibility to carry forward his dream—a world where every person is seen, heard, and given the opportunity to thrive. His work remains a beacon of hope and humanity.”
Mickey Maguire who worked at the organization for 38 years, gave a moving (and funny) eulogy, talking about those early days:
On my first day at the job in 1986, Fr. John told me my job was to “hang out.” Huh? Yes, just hang out in the front office as tenants come in during the morning. I had a difficult time with this. My work ethic told me otherwise. I should be busy, I need to be doing something. But all John wanted from me was to be there and look and listen. For weeks. In the afternoons, he wanted me to go into the charts and match personal histories to the faces I saw daily. And after a while, I learned everyone’s name and the hardships they faced before coming to the St. Francis. I saw what made them laugh, what made them uncomfortable, how they dealt with the pressures of maintaining a budget, their attitudes about mental health, and their role in this St. Francis community. I grew to admire their strength and courage and saw them less as victims and more as stalwart survivors. I learned something about the impact of listening and how I might fit in and be effective. The genius of the program is partly in its simplicity. So when John told me to hang out, he was saying, “Be still. Watch the humanity of this thing unfold before your eyes. Then learn how to use your particular gifts to become a part of it.”
We are grateful to Father John for bringing his gifts of compassion and wisdom and his long service on behalf of New Yorkers in need and for helping start a movement..
For more about Father McVean see here. For Mickey Maguire’s full eulogy and the poem he wrote on the occasion of the the passing of Father Felice see here.