A little bit over a year ago, Pope Francis published the Bull of Indiction of the 2025 Jubilee of the Church. In it, he invited everyone to “be tangible signs of hope for those of our brothers and sisters who experience hardships of any kind” because, citing the scriptures, “hope never disappoints”. His desire for the Holy year was that it represents an opportunity to spread hope as an antidote to the indifference manifested in the “throwaway culture” present in global society. Pope Leo XIV reaffirmed this in his message for the 2025 World Day of the Poor: “each of us is called to offer new signs of hope that will bear witness to Christian charity”.
As the global Vincentian Family (VF) initiative on homelessness, the FHA decided in 2024 to act accordingly by launching the 13 Houses Jubilee Project. With the participation of a variety of VF branches, thirteen projects have been launched since September 2024, representing all continents in which the VF is working on homelessness in several of its different manifestations.
![13H Jubilee Project SMALLER Logo [EN]](https://vfhomelessalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/13H-Jubilee-Project-SMALLER-Logo-EN.png)
Through our witness, may hope spread to all those who anxiously seek it.
Australia. The project led by the SSVP aims to provide a home for a family in need, focusing on creating a stable and supportive living environment for those facing poverty. The house is purchased and being properly equipped.
Brazil. Since 2020, 13 Houses project in Curitiba has built 14 houses and renovated 5 more. Led by the Daughters of Charity, this Jubilee project will build 4 more houses and incorporate empowering components such as educational opportunities and employment support. Construction has started.
Cambodia. Led by the Daughters of Charity in rural Cambodia, the project focuses on improving access to safe and adequate housing, clean water, education, and dignity for marginalized communities. It is part of a wider project that improves housing for 10 families. The work on the water installations at the school has started.
Central African Republic. Led by the Congregation of the Mission (CM) in the Central African Republic, the project’s main objective is to build 20 homes for families currently living in dilapidated straw houses in an isolated village. The building of the houses has begun.
Chile. In the first VF Chile collaborative project for poor people, the “Pequeño Refugio” (Little Refuge) initiative addresses to the approximately 70 migrant families affected by fires in Viña del Mar back in February 2024, aiming to improve their living conditions, with what they requested: a communitary kitchen and a daycare center for their children. Installations will be complete this month.
Costa Rica. A collaboration between a new Vincentian branch, Matrimonios Vicentinos, and the CM, the project aims to provide a safe and dignified home for a migrant self-entrepreneur seamstress and her two children, extracting her from a high-risk neighborhood marked by social conflict, crime, and abuse, to a safer area that ensures the children’s protection and future development. A partnership with St John’s University was born at the FHA Conference in Manila, and the local fundraising is well underway.
Italy. The “Abba Father” project in Catania, run by the CM aims to support separated fathers by addressing the unique challenges they face in a region marked by high unemployment and a precarious labor market. The initiative aims to provide temporary accommodations to fathers needing a stable condition, in order to be granted visiting rights. A symbolic ceremony to launch the project took place on the Feast of St. Joseph, 19 March 2025, which in Italy is also Father’s Day.

Senegal. The Daughters of Charity are building 9 “Houses of Hope” in Fatick, a small village for families in urgent need of improved housing conditions. The project also facilitates access to education for children and promotes the development of small local businesses. Some families have received their homes already.

Syria. In accordance with the VF, the CM of Syria conduct the project to renovate severely damaged houses of four families in different parts of Syria affected by the war, hoping to restore not only shelter but also hope and a sense of stability, enabling families to work towards self-sufficiency and a better future. The political changes of December 2024 created challenges for the initial project. However, the renovation works will start soon. This Vincentian initiative was chosen by the late Pope Francis to be one of the gestures of charity of the Jubilee.
Tanzania. Led by the CM, the project aims to build a secure and sustainable home for a vulnerable family of ten in a remote area of Tanzania to provide a safe, stable home that supports children’s education, health, and overall well-being. The works on the new home have just started.
Tonga. Organized by the SSVP of this island of the Pacific, the project’s primary objective is to provide a vulnerable family with a secure and resilient home, alleviating their psychological and physical distress caused by their unsafe living conditions. Additionally, it includes a livelihood component, enabling the family to grow fruits and vegetables to support their self-sufficiency. The local fundraising is well advanced to complete the project.
Ukraine. Under very difficult circumstances, the Ukrainian VF has come together to propose a Jubilee project in Kyiv. The project’s primary goal is to offer safe temporary accommodation to 100 individuals annually. Residents will receive social, psychological, legal, and employment assistance, fostering independence and a sense of community, helping them to transition to formal housing. Cities in Ukraine are under constant attack, meaning every step of the project is a challenge. However, the VF is staying united and focused on their efforts and aim to deliver the project by the end of this year.
United Kingdom. ‘St Vincent Mews’ is steered by Depaul UK to transform the lives of individuals experiencing homelessness by providing high-quality accommodation in a supportive environment. Comprising thirteen properties with well-furnished rooms, the initiative offers 24/7 staff support to help residents transition from street life to independent living. It was inaugurated in 2024.
Besides project implementation, a milestone in 2025 will be the pilgrimage to Rome of a delegation of beneficiaries of these projects to participate in the Jubilee of the Poor in November. As a way of creating continuity with the rest of the 13 Houses Campaign and with Pope Leo XIV, the “Saint Vincent Village” – 13 Houses project of Peru – will join the 13 Houses Jubilee projects at the pilgrimage in Rome. Having been blessed in 2019 by the now Pope Leo XIV, when he was Bishop of Chiclayo, the project now services migrants and homeless people. The project continues to develop and bring hope to that community.
The 13 Houses Campaign and the Jubilee Project aim to show Vincentian worldwide collaboration to end homelessness globally. As bearers of the Vincentian charism, VF members are serving in their communities to be testimonies of the Gospel by learning from the people they serve. United in global initiatives, they are also promoting the creation of a culture of hope and trust in God’s love.
It is my hope that this Jubilee Year will encourage the development of policies aimed at combatting forms of poverty, both old and new.
By Natalie Monteza
13 Houses Campaign Coordinator