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The Harry Tompson Center is committed to providing a calm and caring environment in which to serve the needs of the poor and homeless in the downtown New Orleans area. The Center is dedicated to improving the quality of life for all those who come to us in need, not merely by responding to physical needs, but also by attending to the whole person with respect and compassion, after the example of Jesus. |
Father Harry Tompson
Father Harry Tompson, the renowned pastor of the Church of the Immaculate Conception (Jesuit Church) in downtown New Orleans, made a momentous decision in mid-1999. A few years before, as part of his renovation of parish life, he had opened The Parish Center to provide a daytime gathering place for people in the Central Business District. Little by little, however, the Center was frequented almost exclusively by the homeless. Instead of running off the homeless who had nowhere to go in the daytime hours, Father Tompson decided to help them in their needs by providing a place to shower, wash some clothes, and rest in a comfortable environment. Not even Father Tompson could have imagined what would eventually develop.
At its inception approximately 30 homeless men were receiving services from the Immaculate Conception Parish Center. That number would grow dramatically over the next three years, as an average of 175 men and women were receiving even more services on a daily basis. The services offered to the homeless included:
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The staff during this time grew from one full-time employee and one full-time volunteer to a staff of five. Even with the increased staffing it was difficult to keep pace with the demand as more and more homeless men and women flocked to the Center. By the time Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, the Center was seeing up to 275 people a day. When annualized, over 50,000 units of service were provided to the homeless in the downtown area. Even more importantly, the men and women who came to the Center were treated with dignity and compassion.
Under the leadership of Father Tom Stahel, the late pastor of Jesuit Church (2004-2005), the parish center was established as a registered non-profit organization and began operating under a new name, The Harry Tompson Center. The mission of the Tompson Center is to provide “a calm and caring environment in which to serve the needs of the poor and the homeless in the downtown New Orleans area. The Center is dedicated to improving the quality of life for all those who come to us in need, not merely by responding to physical needs, but also by attending to the whole person with respect and compassion, after the example of Jesus.”
The building housing the Harry Tompson Center incurred severe damage as a result of the flooding from Hurricane Katrina. In response to the continuing need for day shelter services for the homeless men and women in the area, the Tompson Center is moving its facilities to the Tulane/Claiborne area of downtown New Orleans in a partnership with St. Joseph Church and the Presentation Sisters. The Tompson Center will soon be located on Gravier Street, on the back property of St. Joseph Church. It will include all the services offered at the former location. St. Joseph Church and the Presentation Sisters will offer additional services for the poor and homeless, creating a more comprehensive “one-stop shop” for the homeless and for those trying to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of Katrina. We anticipate opening the new facility in mid-January.