Completed in July, 1999, our first St. Joseph Peace Mission House has 2,700 square feet with a large kitchen and dining room, 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 3 living areas, two offices and a staff lounge. The first resident child moved in in December, 2000. It has been a co-ed residence since its inception and provides a temporary home to children, sibling groups and pregnant teens. During its first decade, this house has been a safe home to nearly 900 children. Some of these children have made multiple stays at the residence. The original residence is licensed to house up to 16 children at a time. Although the ratio of boys to girls varies at any given time, roughly 50 per cent of the residents during our first 10 years have been girls and 50 per cent boys.

While the overall average age of the residents is 12 to 16 years old, younger and older children have also found a temporary home here, including pregnant teenagers and teenage mothers with young children. These resident children come from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds and arrive at the house for different reasons. The house is currently receiving more court referred residents as an alternative to juvenile detention. Abuse and neglect remain primary factors in many children's need for an alternative residence. The majority of children who have lived in our original house have stayed for 30 days or less.

Full-time, qualified staff care for and supervise the residents 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The house functions much as a regular home with staff and residents participating in meal preparation, housekeeping and homework.