2023 Year in Review
A Message from our Director
Dear Friends,
Each day presents the opportunity for life-improving change. As we enter a new year, we know that our guests will continue to face difficult challenges, but we are encouraged by the strength of our team and the lengths to which we will go to ensure that every individual who comes to us in need will be met with an open heart and a helping hand.
For a community that is often defined by its losses, we are proud to be a Center where we see our guests in terms of their richness of spirit and resilience in the face of adversity. We are honored that our guests find care, community, safety, and a sense of belonging with us.
As a supporter of the HTC, we know that you care about the wellbeing of our neighbors currently experiencing homelessness. We’d like to thank each and every one of you for supporting our mission in 2023.
We wanted to share some of our accomplishments made possible by you and our amazing community of guests, volunteers, and supporters in our 2023 Year in Review below.
We hope that 2024 brings many blessings to you, to our team, and to our guests.
With love,
Emily Bussen Wain
A Steady Increase in Guests
More people are falling into homelessness every day. In 2023, UNITY of Greater New Orleans measured a 15% increase in individuals experiencing homelessness over the year before. Last summer, we saw a boom in the number of unique visitors seeking help at the HTC. On average, we see 160 individuals each day, up nearly double from this time last year.
Ending Homelessness for HTC Guests
Our award-winning case managers work closely with guests to help them make sense of their challenges and connect them with the resources they need to get back on their feet. In our latest reporting year, their dedicated service has helped navigate 194 people into stable housing, effectively ending their homelessness for good!
Bike Program
HTC's bike program strives to improve personal mobility and access to transportation for the unhoused community. Participants are paired with a used bicycle supplied by our donor community and led through a series of classes designed to teach the basics of maintenance and repair. We are so proud of the 70 individuals who completed the program in our latest reporting year! Special thanks to our amazing instructor, Malcolm Hall, who spent dozens of hours helping us deliver this program to our guests.
Do you have a bicycle you would like to donate to our bike program? Let us know by emailing info@harrytompsoncenter.org. We are currently accepting bicycle donations for our 2024 classes!
Volunteers
Our volunteers are the unsung heroes of our operation. Every day, we are graced by the efforts of individuals who give their hearts and volunteer their time towards making life a little easier for our guests. This year, lawyers, doctors, nurses, counselors, hair stylists, occupational therapists, students, clergy, parishioners, Jesuit novices, and many others offered over 3,448 hours to our guests. We are indebted to their service and grateful for their compassionate care.
Our Wonderful Donors
A huge thank you to the all of the individuals who supported the HTC through financial contributions this year, including our 2023 Gala sponsors and participants, our amazing sustaining monthly donors, everyone who shared our GiveNOLA Day and #iGiveCatholic Giving Tuesday profiles, and each and every person who thought of our guests, our mission, and the good work Father Tompson, S.J. set in motion all those years ago. We are so grateful for your support!
Thank you for keeping the goodness going
Without your support, our work wouldn't be possible.
Community Support
Thank you to the 100+ individuals and faith-based groups who organized Donation Drives or collected and delivered much-needed items for our guests. We feel so blessed to be the beneficiaries of your generous efforts. Special thanks to everyone who purchased items from our Amazon Wishlist and who worked with our team to identify and deliver the products our guests rely on the most! You are truly HTC Heroes!
We are immensely grateful to the foundations and organizations that supported the Harry Tompson Center in 2023:
Alden and Margaret Laborde Foundation
Ronnie & Gwen Briggs Family Foundation
Joe & Dorothy Dorsett Brown Foundation
J. Homer Butler Foundation
Calmoseptine Inc.
Catholic Community Foundation
Congregation of St. Joseph
Crossroads Foundation
Daly-Landry Family Fund
Daughters of Charity Ministry
Davis-Moloney Fund
Eckstein Charitable Trust
Enterprise Holdings Foundation
Frank J. Lewis Foundation
Gustaf W. McIlhenny Foundation
Jensen Family Fund
Kitchen Family Charitable Fund
La Société Des Dames Hospitalières
Louise H. Moffett Family Foundation
McKeen Fund
Methodist Health System Foundation
Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust
Patrick F. Taylor Foundation
Perez Family Angels of Katrina Foundation
Reiling Family Foundation
Rice-Voelker Fund for Recovery
Strake Foundation
US Central and Southern Province, Jesuits
Wallace Landry Family Foundation
Save the Date for HTC's 2024 Gala
We are so excited to announce that our 2024 Annual Gala will commence at:
The Academy of the Sacred Heart
NIMS Fine Arts Center
Saturday, March 9, 2024
4pm - 7pm
This year marks 25 years since Father Harry Tompson, S.J. founded our humble but mighty mission. We invite you to commemorate the occasion by joining us for a night of celebration featuring live music, a specially curated silent auction, new prizes in our Big 3 Giveaway, and a delightful dinner buffet and beer/wine bar. Toast to the good work we've accomplished and help HTC remain a leader in providing critical care to our city's unhoused neighbors.
To sponsor or pledge your support visit our events page today!.
To inquire about tickets, auction, or donation opportunities, contact Paisleigh Kelley at pkelley@harrytompsoncenter.org
Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors generously offer their time and expertise in service of our mission. Thank you for your commitment to making our vision a reality.
Mary Baudouin- President
Stephen Romig - Treasurer
Paul Buras- Secretary
Rev. Anthony McGinn, S.J.
Dwight Barnes
Charles Bourg
Alisa Bright
Dr. Gail Burke
Tasheena Butler
Shannon Daigle
Dr. Peter DeBlieux
Michael Hammer
James Pellerin
Kevin Wilson