About Us
Timeline
- 1963: St. Francis Neighborhood Center was founded by three priests from nearby parishes, some seminarians and a number of neighborhood residents;
- 1965: SFNC moved to 936 Whitelock Street, where it remained until 1995. Programs included neighborhood financial assistance, counseling, a Bible School for youngsters, and a Black History series of lectures, and Sunday Mass in our dining room.
- 1968: After two years volunteering, Fr. Tom Composto (SFNC’s current Executive Director) moved into St. Francis Neighborhood Center.
- 1968: Street riots following Martin Luther King’s assassination; St. Francis is the only distribution hub, neighborhood stores were boarded up.
- 1970-1971: Doctor Freed, our neighborhood pharmacist, began our first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Some years later, a Narcotics Anonymous groups was also established.
- 1972: St. Francis Neighborhood Center is incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization.
- 1972: John Taylor founded the St. Francis Dental Health Service in an office next door to St. Francis Neighborhood Center. Staffed by volunteer dentists, it offered reduced fees for neighborhood residents.
- 1977: SFNC purchased and restored the two small row houses at 934-6 Whitelock Street, from which it operated until 1995. We refurbished the basement into a simple, formal chapel for religious services. We had our first Mass there on Palm Sunday.
- 1987: John Taylor began the St. Francis Mobile Dental Service, through which John brings dental service to shut-ins and nursing home residents.
- 1988: St. Francis Neighborhood Center expands its outreach to multi-drug-addicted residents of our area. This outreach continues to the present
- 1994 and 1997: St. Francis is the recipient of awards for Geriatric Dental Health Care from the American Dental Association
- 1995: The 900 block of Whitelock Street, the commercial area and location of St. Francis Neighborhood Center, was demolished for neighborhood renewal by the Baltimore City Government. A house at 2405 Linden Ave (one block away) was made available to SFNC. The 900 block of Whitelock Street has yet to be reconstructed.
- 1996: Over 14 months, we renovated the house at 2405 Linden Ave. with many volunteers, and opened the doors in 1996. This is our current location.
Original location of the St. Francis Neighborhood Center
View of the neighborhood from the old center stoop
The original center being demolished
Tom visits the original center’s ruins