Magdala House

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.

08/05/2026

Care looks like a lot of things at Magdala House.

It looks like a fresh pot of flowers outside a Tiny Home, planted during our Day of Caring beautification project, because a place someone calls home should feel like one.

It looks like our VP of Unhoused and Intellectually and Developmentally, Garfield, picking up the clippers himself to give a fresh haircut to one of the men in our IDD program. Some of the most meaningful moments happen in ordinary rooms, between people who show up for each other.

It looks like a plate of peppers, sliced and ready, at our Adult Day Care program, where good food and good company go hand in hand.

It looks like a birthday sash, a tiara, and a room full of people who made sure she felt celebrated.

And it looks like our lead case manager packing a bag full of self care essentials for the women at Tiny Homes, small comforts that say you matter, you're seen, you're cared for.

Sixty years in, this is still what we come back to: dignity, shown in the details.

07/28/2026

On Friday, our main office team took on a challenge: clearing out decades of files, furniture, and equipment to make room for what's next. Filing cabinets, old paperwork, a lifetime of memories, all sorted, boxed, and hauled out together.

It was a lot of work. It was also a reminder of just how much history lives in this building, and how far Magdala House has come since it first opened its doors.

We're not just making room for storage. We're making room for the next chapter: 60 years of service, and counting.

Here's to what's coming.

07/24/2026

Today, at Magdala House we are cleaning up our main office. Clearing old files, outdated furniture, and making room for what's next.

Along the way, we uncovered a little piece of history tucked away in a drawer: Excel 97 for Windows For Dummies.

Once upon a time, this was cutting-edge technology. It's a fun reminder of how far we've come, not just in technology, but as an organization.

Some things do stay the same though. The mission that started Magdala House decades ago is still the same one guiding us today.

Who remembers Excel 97? Better yet, who actually learned Excel from one of these books? We can't be the only ones! Drop a comment if you had one on your desk back in the day.

07/22/2026

There's a bathroom sink at Magdala House's Adult Day Care program in St. Louis where independence gets built one small task at a time.

This week, a hygiene lesson on tooth brushing did just that. What happened next surprised even the staff who see this participant every day.

Want to know what made this lesson different? Read the full story on our News and Events page or click this link ---> https://bit.ly/4bCeVek

07/18/2026

Getting dressed each morning is automatic for most of us. A quick glance outside, maybe a jacket by the door, done.

For adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, that same decision often takes real practice. This week, participants in Magdala House's Adult Day Program worked through exactly that, sorting their own clothes by season and talking through what actually works for St. Louis weather.

It's a small lesson with a big payoff: independence, safety, and confidence, one decision at a time.

Read the full story on our website. Here --->https://bit.ly/4flK8DL

07/13/2026

One choir. Three programs. One Memorial Day none of us will forget.

Eastern Shore Baptist Church's youth choir could have spent their summer tour anywhere.

They chose Magdala House.

They sang under an open sky at Tiny Homes. They filled the dining hall at Biddle House. They brought the room to life at Adult Day Care.

Three very different communities. One shared moment of hope.

This is what partnership looks like — people who don't know our tenants, guests, and clients showing up anyway, sharing their gifts, and reminding everyone in the room that they are seen and they are loved.

The songs lasted a few minutes. The impact is still here.

Read the full story of how one choir's stop in St. Louis touched every corner of Magdala House.https://bit.ly/4vpYysw.

07/08/2026

Independence isn't just about where someone lives. It's about having the opportunity to navigate everyday life with confidence and dignity.

At Magdala House, we believe every person deserves the chance to grow in independence while receiving the support they need to thrive. This simple interaction is a reminder that patience, respect, and understanding can make all the difference.

Thank you to the Great Clips team for creating such a positive experience, and thank you to for sharing this meaningful moment and allowing others to see what's possible when people are met with dignity and respect.

💙 Every person deserves to live with dignity.