Joni and Friends Announces First Domestic Joni’s House in East St. Louis

EAST ST. LOUIS, Illinois, June 18, 2024 – Caring for a loved one with a disability can be a full-time job, and family caregivers require a break from the daily grind. But if you live in East St. Louis, where the nearest disability services lie well outside the city limits, getting time to breathe can feel impossible. 

Respite has been identified as a top need for families living with disability in East St. Louis, and the international disability ministry Joni and Friends is here to help fill that need.  

On June 14, Joni and Friends broke ground on Joni’s House, a disability center for respite care in East St. Louis.  

Joni’s House will serve East St. Louis through day programs for adults with disabilities, and after-school programs for school-age children with disabilities. Both programs will operate with the aim of providing practical help and Gospel hope to families from the community.  

Lansdowne UP, one of the largest private landowners in East St. Louis, donated land in the Lansdowne area along the Mississippi River on which to build the Joni’s House disability center, with the St. Louis Arch in full view. This is a significant gift to the more than 3,000 local residents living with disability.

In fact, the residents of East St. Louis report rates of disability two times the national average. 

There are already Joni’s House programs throughout the globe, providing faith-based care to families with disabilities in low-resource countries.  

Joni’s House East St. Louis will be the first Joni’s House in the U.S., and as Joni and Friends has laid the groundwork for this endeavor, many have asked “Why East St. Louis?”  

The leadership of Joni and Friends felt called fulfill the mandate of Luke 14 to “Go out quickly…and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame…so that my house will be full.” (Luke 14:21, 23)  

Local faith and civic leaders explored the idea with Joni and Friends identifying the local needs—and the great potential—for the community and Joni’s House programming was developed accordingly. 

CeCe McCoo, who is spearheading the effort for Joni and Friends, said the City of Champions is ready for a faith-based respite program.  

“There are generally two responses at the mention of respite care. Either I hear a sigh of relief or hand clapping exuberance,” CeCe said. “Without a doubt, everyone we have spoken with is eager to see Joni’s House be planted in East St. Louis.” 

Joni’s House will be part of a hub of revitalization in East St. Louis. Once built, Joni’s House will lie within two miles of the Illinois State Highway Patrol, the Jackie Joyner Kersee Boys & Girls Club, and the newly renovated Lansdowne Center.

About Joni and Friends: For more than 40 years, Joni and Friends has provided the hope of the Gospel and practical care to people living with disability around the globe. Ministry programs include Joni’s House, Wheels for the World™, Retreats and Getaways, and disability ministry training. Joni and Friends also delivers daily inspirational media through radio programs and podcasts.

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