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<\/p>\nBy Sue Denny \u2022 Posted August 5, 2026 <\/p>\n
Catholic Charities of Philadelphia continues to expand the options for seniors to remain in an affordable home in their neighborhood.<\/p>\n
The organization is completing construction on the ninth senior housing community it has developed and manages in the region.<\/p>\n
St. Katharine Drexel Place in Northeast Philadelphia will consist of 48 one-bedroom apartments \u2013 27 in a rehabbed former friary that once housed Franciscan priests and brothers who taught at Archbishop Ryan High School on Academy Road, and 21 in a newly constructed three-story addition.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere has been more interest in this development than in any other development we\u2019ve done,\u201d said Suzanne O\u2019Grady Laurito, Director of Catholic Charities\u2019 Catholic Housing and Community Services. At least 300 people have requested information. \u201cWe\u2019ve never started off with such great interest.\u201d<\/p>\n
Residents must be 62 or older and meet income requirements. A subsidy is associated with each unit, so rents will be no more than 30 percent of a resident\u2019s monthly income.<\/p>\n
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Heather Huot, Secretary & Executive Vice President, Catholic Charities of Philadelphia, and Auxiliary Bishop John J. McIntyre stand outside St. Katharine Drexel Place in Northeast Philadelphia, where construction is nearing completion on a new affordable senior housing community expected to open in 2027. (Photo: Catholic Charities of Philadelphia)<\/p>\n
Work on the $24 million project \u2013 the \u201cadaptive reuse\u201d of an existing site, according to O\u2019Grady Laurito \u2013 began in September 2025 and is nearing completion. The majority of funding has come from federal low-income housing tax credits.<\/p>\n
Like other Catholic Charities communities, St. Katharine of Drexel Place will offer handicap-accessible apartments plus case management, health services, and recreational activities, allowing residents to age in place in the communities they love.<\/p>\n
The typical apartment features a living room, bedroom, full kitchen and bath designed to meet the challenges often faced by the elderly. Amenities include roll-in showers, emergency pull cords, handrails, and an on-site building manager and social worker.<\/p>\n
Catholic Charities is a leading provider of senior living services in the Philadelphia region. \u201cPeople know that our buildings are designed to meet their needs, to look beautiful, and to look market rate \u2013 not like affordable housing,\u201d O\u2019Grady Laurito said. \u201cWe believe that everybody needs to live in a space that is reflective of their God-given innate dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keenly aware of the great need for affordable senior housing, Catholic Charities is committed to expanding its portfolio following the opening of St. Katharine of Drexel Place, which is expected in 2027. Discussions are underway with parishes in Philadelphia and Delaware County for potentially redeveloping unoccupied Church properties.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always easier and more efficient to start from scratch,\u201d O\u2019Grady Laurito said. \u201cBut the ability to reuse Church property that has held such importance and holds so many memories from decades of a prior mission \u2013 \u00a0that\u2019s really special.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two Catholic Charities senior communities in Philadelphia \u2013 Nativity B.V.M. Place in Port Richmond and St. Francis Villa<\/a> in East Kensington \u2013 recently celebrated their 10-year anniversaries.<\/p>\n