Finding Home in the Heart
Join us in building a future of hope.
For 35 years, St. Margaret’s House has been a place of refuge, hope, and healing for women. More than 1,000 women each year—and an average of 70 each day—walk through our doors carrying heavy burdens. Yet here, they are not defined by their struggles. They are survivors, artists, caregivers, mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends.
Each day, we accompany women on their journey toward healing and possibility. But our building can no longer keep pace with the growing number of women we serve or the complexity of their needs. That is why we have launched a transformative $8 million capital campaign to expand and redesign St. Margaret’s House.
This project will add 6,500 square feet—a 47% increase in space—designed with women’s voices and needs at the center. More than bricks and mortar, this building will allow us to serve more women, better.
We invite you to be part of this transformation.
With your help, St. Margaret’s House will continue offering not just essential services and a safe place to be, but a community that believes in women, supports them, and walks with them on their journey.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are we renovating and expanding our building?
We’ve seen a steady increase in the number of women seeking support and connection at St. Margaret’s House, and the complexity of their needs continues to grow. Unfortunately, our space often becomes overcrowded, noisy, and difficult to navigate, particularly for those who have experienced significant trauma or have mobility challenges. Ensuring that St. Margaret’s House remains a safe haven for women is our top priority.
We recognize that the environment has a profound impact on the experience of everyone here. Creating a beautiful, trauma-informed space designed to meet our specific needs will allow us to serve more women, more effectively, while providing the support our guests need.
What will be different?
We have partnered with an architect and design consultant to create a purposefully-designed building guided by trauma-informed principles, resulting in a calmer, safer environment with increased capacity to meet the intensifying needs of the women we serve.
Here’s what the new space will offer:
• Increased capacity for meal service and community in the dining room:
○ Current seating capacity: 60 (cramped), New seating capacity: 90 (comfortably) allowing us to increase from 15,600 to 23,400 hot lunches/year.
• Increase safety and security with a redesigned vestibule that will allow us to greet and assess guests face-to-face rather than by video camera.
• Increase our hours of operation to meet critical gaps in the larger community.
• Restore and expand laundry services to guests via a purposefully designed laundry room located away from food areas on the first floor.
• Expand and improve the layout of the clothes closet and art studio to accommodate more guests.
• Increase the amount of space available for Respite/Mental Health/Decompression.
• Increase the number of spaces dedicated to programming, in order to expand programmatic offerings, and community partnerships.
This expansion will add 6,500 square feet (a 47% increase in total space) for our work with vulnerable women and children. The result will be a purposefully designed space that considers and responds to the needs of our guests for decades to come.
Why not build new or move to a different location?
Being in the heart of downtown South Bend makes us easily accessible to our guests and the resources they need. Downtown South Bend is thriving and remaining here will allow St. Margaret’s House—and our guests!—to benefit from the growth and development in downtown.
Did you know that St. Margaret’s House has been in its current location, immediately next door to the Cathedral of Saint James, for all of its 35 years? The Cathedral is giving us the property we need to expand. The ability to create a beautiful, healing space for our guests without having to purchase land—and remaining in the location that our community has come to know and depend on—helps to make this project a reality!
How much have we raised so far and what will be the total cost?
We have already raised more than $5.5 million for our building project, thanks to a handful of lead donors who believe in our mission and trust our good work. The total project will cost $8 million.
What is our timeline?
We anticipate beginning construction in May 2026. We expect the project to take approximately 12 months to complete.
Will we have to close during construction?
Our neighbors at the Cathedral of Saint James have graciously invited us to move our operations into their facilities during construction. Since January 2026, we are able to offer the majority of services at the Cathedral. We are grateful to continue operating in a location that is familiar to us and to our guests. We ❤ the Cathedral for all of the ways they support us!
Why aren’t we expanding to provide overnight shelter?
We are committed first to fulfilling and expanding in a sustainable way the critical day services that we already offer. Once we have settled into our expanded model, we may then explore the possibilities for women’s overnight housing.