Cardinal Ritter Senior Services

$35 a day helps prevent homelessness for seniors with low incomes and mental health disorders, a particularly at-risk population. Donations to Cardinal Ritter Senior Services today will directly benefit rent support for senior adults in our low-income assisted living facilities. Funds raised through Give STL Day will also help provide additional cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment for our residents and staff, expand critical social services to at-risk seniors in the community, and increase safe social connectivity via technology.

St. Elizabeth Hall provides residents with a secure home environment for seniors who need some assistance with activities of daily living but do not yet require skilled nursing care. Staff provides 24-hour protective oversight, nursing services, nutritious meals, housekeeping and laundry services, and access to a trained nurse, social worker, and activity program.

The majority of these residents have serious mental health diagnoses, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression. Most have managed mental illness for the majority of their lives with little to no help. As both older adults and persons living with mental illness, our residents experience higher than normal healthcare costs, and they often find it difficult--if not impossible--to work.

Without St. Elizabeth Hall, many residents can become homeless or would be forced to move into skilled nursing facilities prematurely, a situation that can be detrimental to the mental and physical health of seniors who do not yet require this level of care.

There are no sources of public support for assisted living care in the state of Missouri. When a resident is unable to afford the full rent, CRSS offers rent subsidies. Closing the gap between the amount of rent senior adults with low income can pay and the actual cost of room and board is critical.