What is the Threshold Fund?
The Saint Mark's Cathedral Threshold Fund is an important part of the cathedral's Housing Justice Ministries. Launched in 2018 as an initiative of Saint Mark's Homeless Advocacy Ministry, the fund helps individuals and families experiencing homelessness by providing financial assistance with rental deposits and move-in costs, lowering the financial barrier to safe, permanent housing. It is administered in collaboration with Catholic Community Services. Please make a donation to the fund at saintmarks.org/give (choose "Threshold Fund" from the list of options.)
Saint Mark’s Threshold Fund Details
- This fund provides qualified recipients with first and last month’s rent and security deposit— half as an outright gift, half as a loan to be repaid when they are able.
- The average subsidy in each case is approximately $1600.
- We partner with Catholic Community Services (CCS) to administer the program, which includes case management to ensure those in need obtain the support services from which they will benefit.
- We pay a small fee to CCS to provide this service on our behalf, ensuring that we have professional staff vetting each case.
Threshold Fund Testimonials
"VA reached out because she is currently experiencing financial hardship and am was need of support to remain stably housed. She is a full-time college student and a single mother, and despite doing her best to stay on top of my expenses, but had fallen behind on rent and was at risk of losing her housing. Thanks to the Threshold fund, she was able to catch up on rent and she and her family are stable in their housing again."
"CS was referred to CCS by Lowell Elementary School. The School was working with a single mother of two children, one of whom has significant disabilities. Mom works but had fallen behind on rent was facing eviction. The support of the Threshold fund helped ensure this mom and her children could stay in their housing."
"LF is a family also being served by the Lowell. The family had been homeless, staying in car and motel, but was able to secure housing with SHA way faster than anticipated. Mom is working but had recently separated from her husband who is not working and providing no financial support. Thanks to the support from the Threshold Fund, this family is now housed in a subsided housing unit that will make maintain housing much easier for this family."
UPDATE (June 2025)
Through June of this year, the Threshold Fund helped seven households with a total of $7270, including families with children at Lowell Elementary School, whom we referred for this assistance.
Since 2018, the Threshold Fund has helped scores of individuals and families access safe, secure housing. To date, over $200,000 has been used to support families through Saint Mark’s Threshold Fund.
If you’d like to make a gift to help continue this important part of our Housing Justice ministries, please do so on the cathedrals giving page (Choose "Threshold Fund" from the list of options ), or contact Erik Donner in the church office.
Annual Impact
2024 Threshold Fund Report
2023 Threshold Fund Report
2022 Threshold Fund Report
2021 Threshold Fund Report
2020 Threshold Fund Report
In 2020, Saint Mark's Threshold Fund helped move 13 individuals to move out of homelessness into a safe secure home by providing the security deposit, first month’s rent, and application fees.
2019 Threshold Fund Report
Since launching the program in March 2019, 14 households (30 individuals in all) have received assistance totaling more than $17,300. The average assistance was $1,237.