“Finally a friend told me about La Posada. I came and I was surprised because it doesn’t look like a shelter. It looks just like a home." ~ Marquita
La Posada Family Emergency Shelter offers temporary housing and supportive services to homeless families of all faiths and backgrounds in the Toledo area. Direct services through La Posada include shelter, food, clothing, personal hygiene products and case management.
Catholic Charities’ staff empower families to achieve self-sufficiency through programs that help them identify goals and build on their strengths to attain them. By providing shelter, supportive resources and linking people to resources in the community, Catholic Charities helps vulnerable families achieve stable housing and become self-sufficient.
Since its opening 30 years ago, La Posada has provided shelter to more than 2,000 families.
What does La Posada Mean?
The name La Posada originated from the Spanish holiday, “Las Posadas.” The event is a nine-day celebration that represents the difficulties that Joseph and Mary, the mother of Jesus, faced in search of a room while traveling to Bethlehem.
Groups of children and adults go from house to house singing a traditional song requesting lodging (posada). At each house, the owner responds with refusal until Mary and Joseph reach the designated site for the party. The owner, or “innkeeper," recognizes Joseph and Mary, and they are finally allowed in. Today, Latin American countries continue to celebrate this holiday each year before Christmas.
Catholic Charities’ La Posada Family Emergency Shelter was initially established to serve the Hispanic community but now serves all families in need of a place to stay.
Seeking Shelter?
United Way processes families for La Posada Family Emergency Shelter. For immediate assistance, please dial 2-1-1 from any landline or 1-800-650-HELP to connect with an information and referral specialist. To speak with a La Posada staff member, dial 419-244-5931 for all other program and service inquiries.
For more information on our shelter or on how you can help, please contact La Posada Family Shelter at 419-244-5931.
La Posada Family Emergency Shelter Staff
Michelle Smith-Wojnowski, Program Coordinator
David Pattin, CHW, Residential Specialist II
Laitarsha Yowpp, Residential Specialist
Shontrell Flanagan, Residential Specialist
Kathryn Tigney, Residential Specialist
La Posada Family Emergency Shelter Advisory Board
Wanda Cannon, Community Representative
Sirlema Crowley, Area Office On Aging
Cynthia Papenfus, RN (retired)
Lutricia Prater, Community Representative
Gloria Smith, RN, Lucas County Health Department
Danielle Tedrow, Community Representative (former La Posada guest)
Jennifer Voigt, Catholic Charities Permanent Supportive Housing Program Coordinator
The need for services has never been greater. Our homeless shelters are full. Our crisis navigators and community emergency services folks report the need for housing assistance is at an all time high!
Helping Hands of St. Louis is serving record high numbers of hot meals daily, nearly 5,000 meals last month! Over the past three months 3,000 individuals turned to our Clothing Center for winter clothing and needed household items -- an all-time high! The number seeking food from the HHSL Food Pantry is up 41%, and our HOPE Pantry in Mansfield is seeing increases as well. The need for your financial support has never been greater!
Rodney Schuster, Catholic Charities Diocese of Toledo's Executive Director, and Jen Lippus, Catholic Charities Development Director discuss top critical needs for our ministries right now. Both our La Posada Family Emergency Shelter and Miriam House, our transitional shelter for homeless women and their children, are full. Helping Hands of St. Louis is feeding record high numbers of individuals daily in our dining room and through our Food Pantry. All need food inventories re-stocked through in-kind donations or financial support https://catholiccharitiesnwo.org/how-to-help/donate.html
Our Project Bethlehem coordinators share their efforts: Jen Voight, Permanent Supportive Housing Program Coordinator, Willi Meyer, Activities and Facilities Manager at La Posada Family Emergency Shelter, and Sue Shrewsbery, Director of Helping Hands of St. Louis, Laurie Hamrick, Community Emergency Services Case Manager in Mansfield, and Breanna Mantz, Program Coordinator Huron County Community Emergency Services and Miriam House, our transitional shelter for homeless women and their children.
Willi Meyer, Activities and Facilities Manager at La Posada Family Emergency Shelter, and Breanna Mantz, Program Coordinator Huron County Community Emergency Services and Miriam House, our transitional shelter for homeless women and their children Christmas needs of Catholic Charities Diocese of Toledo's homeless shelters in Toledo and Norwalk. Volunteers and sponsors are welcomed to help the families celebrate the season by preparing and serving meals and helping with the fun activities being planned.
Willi Meyer, Facilities and Activities Manager at La Posada Family Emergency Shelter, discusses their "Back-to-School Stop-in" event on Wednesday, August 9. Sue Shrewsberry, Director of Helping Hands of St. Louis, then discusses the 10th Annual Helping Hands Shoe Fest on Saturday, August 12. Deacon Bill Scholl, Social Justice Consultant with the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas discusses Subsidiarity as it relates to Catholic Social Teaching.
Donations of backpacks and school supplies are needed for La Posada Family Shelter's Back-to-School Stop-In event on Wednesday, August 9. Families currently residing at La Posada Emergency Shelter, house guests from this past year, and those living in Permanent Supportive Housing from Catholic Charities Diocese of Toledo will have lunch and their children receive needed backpacks filled with age-appropriate school supplies.
Share your Easter Blessings! Host Rodney Schuster, Executive Director, Catholic Charities Diocese of Toledo, welcomes Sue Shrewsbery from Helping Hands of St. Louis, Willi Meyer from La Posada Family Emergency Shelter, Vicki Smith from Miriam House, our transitional shelter for homeless women and children in Norwalk, and Susan Dyson from Catholic Charities HOPE Pantry in Mansfield.
The number of people Catholic Charities Diocese of Toledo is serving continues to grow dramatically. “We provide the most basic human needs of food, clothing, and shelter to our communities’ most vulnerable men, women, and children across the Diocese of Toledo,” says Rodney Schuster, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Toledo. “We ask for your prayers to protect and lift our staff and the people we serve. We also ask for your financial support as our ministries are being dramatically stretched."
Susan Shrewsbery, Director of Helping Hands of St. Louis, Susan Dyson, Mansfield's HOPE Food Pantry Coordinator, and Willi Meyer, Facility and Activities Coordinator at La Posada Family Shelter discuss Thanksgiving food needs. "Faith Alive" airs weekly on Annunciation Radio of Northwest Ohio
Vicki Smith, Catholic Charities Miriam House Program Coordinator, Willi Meyer, La Posada Family Shelter Activities and Facilities Manager, and Deacon Ed Irelan, Justice Ministry Coordinator, discuss the homeless services Catholic Charities offers in the Diocese of Toledo at our shelters and the "Off the Streets" program.
This April, celebrate Keep America Beautiful Month by working to clean up and beautify our communities. There are lots of ways to beautify our world, and together we can keep it that way for generations to come.
