'A day to celebrate'

By Rocio Granados - La Voz Catolica

Photography: ROCIO GRANADOS | FC

KEY WEST | David Cooper moved to Key West in 2017. He left Tampa because life there was unsafe. He was run over three times on his adapted motorbike and the bank where he worked as a security guard was robbed.

Cooper volunteered at the VA hospital, where he played the trumpet, "and when I thought I could play well enough, I moved to Key West to play in Mallory Square and now I play on Duval Street," he said.

Housing in Key West is very expensive, but as a disabled U.S. Army veteran, Cooper received assistance through a program that provides temporary and affordable housing. A few weeks after his arrival, during evacuations for Hurricane Irma, he met other veterans living in St. Bede's Village, a permanent housing complex for people with disabilities operated by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami. He applied, and eight months later, he received an apartment where he pays one-third of his income.

Having a place to live permanently is "like a security blanket. It's wonderful, it's a miracle. This is the best thing that could have ever happened to us," Cooper said after Archbishop Thomas Wenski blessed 10 new apartments for disabled and low-income individuals at St. Bede's Village, in Key West, on March 14, 2025.

The new, modern, one-bedroom apartments, with access ramps for people with disabilities, have wider doors and accessible bathrooms. They were built to replace the previous units, which were in poor condition.

Four years earlier, in March 2021, Archbishop Wenski blessed 37 apartments for low-income essential workers on the same site.

At the beginning of the blessing ceremony, Peter Routsis-Arroyo, executive director of Catholic Charities, welcomed the archbishop; Father Christopher Marino, rector of the Basilica of St. Mary Star of the Sea; Msgr. Roberto Garza; the agency’s local and senior staff, board members; David Prada, archdiocesan director of Building and Properties; building contractors; representatives of the City of Key West and Monroe County; representatives of the Presbyterian and Lutheran churches; members of the local community; and the residents of St. Bede's. "They're the ones that make this a very special place," said Routsis-Arroyo.

"What we're doing here today is important because it represents the commitment of the Archdiocese of Miami and the Basilica of St. Mary Star of the Sea to this community and some of its most vulnerable people. We're providing decent and affordable housing for members of our workforce and for some of our disabled brothers and sisters who will now be able to live with greater dignity and comfort," said Archbishop Wenski.

During the blessing, Archbishop Wenski prayed, "[Lord,] we ask you to bless these new facilities here at St. Bede's Village, which we dedicate today. May these be a refuge and a sanctuary where those most in need can take shelter under the shadow of your wings." He then sprinkled holy water around the building and cut the ribbon to officially open the new apartments.

Routsis-Arroyo explained that in 2021, 37 apartments for workers, much needed for those who provide essential services to the community, were dedicated. At the time, the 10 permanent units for the disabled were in poor condition, and with the support of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the City of Key West, its residents were temporarily relocated in the housing units for workers while construction was underway.

Cooper was among them. After the blessing ceremony, he was one of the first to move into the new apartments. "The apartment is great, the space is better, and the quality of the floors and everything is much improved," he noted.

The units were built with solid concrete blocks to ensure they would last for years. The project cost $3.5 million. Monroe County provided $400,000 and $3.1 million came from private funds from Catholic Charities and the Archdiocese of Miami.

"This project represents the archdiocese's continued commitment to the community," Routsis-Arroyo pointed out.

Deacon Richard Turcotte, former executive director of Catholic Charities of Miami, said it took nearly 30 years to reach this milestone. In 1998, Father Gerald McGrath, pastor of the then Church of St. Mary Star of the Sea, showed him the property of the former St. Bede Church.

In 2003, recognizing the need for housing for disabled seniors, they decided to build 10 apartments, and although the process was very challenging, they succeeded. At that time, homelessness in Monroe County was also becoming a growing concern. They converted part of St. Bede's into an emergency shelter for men, and Father McGrath and members of St. Mary Star of the Sea set up a soup kitchen on the property.

"Eventually, St. Bede's went from being an emergency shelter to a transitional shelter, and people who became homeless would go to the shelter temporarily before moving into permanent housing. Then, we realized that there was a lack of affordable housing for people looking for permanent housing," recalled Deacon Turcotte.

In 2010-2011, St. Theresa Apartments opened two units for families on property leased through the City of Key West.

With the help of local leaders and city officials, plans began to build housing for essential workers.

"The process took 15 years, but it resulted in a successful model of collaboration between the archdiocese, Catholic Charities and local entities," he added.

Upon seeing the finished project, Deacon Turcotte said, "It's beautiful. It's more than I imagined it would be… the landscape inside the structure itself… It's just been a wonderful experience to come back and see it. It's been great."

On behalf of the City of Key West, Peter Batty, deacon of the Basilica of St. Mary Star of the Sea, thanked all those involved in "bringing this project to fruition, not only because it is beautiful and meets the needs of the community, but because it is absolutely magnificent. As Richard said, this is a model we can duplicate in the future. It's so wonderfully well done."

These permanent homes for people with disabilities is a project that is "unique in all of Monroe County," explained Routsis-Arroyo. Msgr. Garza, who is also director of Radio Paz, which broadcasted the ceremony live, pointed out that the construction of these apartments "was possible thanks to the generosity of many who donated to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami."

"More than 30 years ago, Catholic Charities and St. Mary Star of the Sea opened a shelter and soup kitchen for the homeless in the Keys. Despite community resistance, we fought for change and achieved housing for those in need," said Routsis-Arroyo.

"Today we celebrate an achievement that became a reality thanks to a lot of effort and great support. Today is a day to celebrate," said the executive director of Catholic Charities. "But the fight goes on because there are always people who need assistance. In addition to housing programs, we have initiatives to help those who are struggling to pay their rent. We provide a range of services; that is our mission."

At Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami "we like to say, 'We serve people not because they are Catholic; we serve people because we are Catholic,'" said Msgr. Garza.

Freelance reporter Tom Tracy contributed to this story.

MORE INFORMATION

• St. Bede's Village is located at 2700 Flagler Avenue, Key West.
• To learn more about Catholic Charities’ housing programs in Monroe County click here.