When Gina Monti was diagnosed with a stigmatizing health condition in 1996 her illness was considered a death sentence. Medications were not effective and insurance coverage was out of reach for her. “I struggled significantly with illness and addiction and felt hopeless,” she recalls. Things kept getting worse. Gina contracted meningitis which put her in the hospital for 40 days and rendered her disabled. “I felt like I was dangling for many years. I got involved with bad company and made some poor decisions while I was homeless.”

Magnificat Houses was there for her. The Houston nonprofit is a lifeline for the homeless and those struggling with mental illness. Its 15 residential properties, adult day center for mental health and wellness, soup kitchen and thrift store have provided life-changing support, community and dignity to tens of thousands since it began in 1968. 

In 2014, Gina found herself incarcerated and disabled with illness. Magnificat gave her a place to live in an environment that was supportive and stable. After 30 days, she progressed to a house leadership position and started planning her future so she could give back.

Today, Gina is no longer on disability due to her improved health, lives independently, has earned a certification and two associate degrees with the highest honors, is working on her bachelor’s degree with a 4.0 GPA, and landed a job as a full-time staff member at Magnifcat in 2022.

Magnificat was founded for the sole purpose of getting the homeless off the street and taking care of them by providing food, clothing, shelter, and mental health services.

Magnificat received an $88,000 CommonSpirit Health Community Health Improvement Grant from Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center. The funds will support multiple services including mental health care, onsite health clinics and its Loaves & Fishes Soup Kitchen which provides over 300 meals per day, six days a week in downtown Houston.

The grant will also underwrite health fairs staffed by nursing and optometry students from the University of Houston who perform blood pressure screenings, glucose screenings, and preliminary eye exams, and vouchers to receive comprehensive services. A recent health fair served a “packed house” of participants who would never have had access to basic health services.

"Baylor St. Luke's is proud to share in the mission and support the impactful work of Magnificat Houses through a CommonSpirit Health Community Health Improvement Grant," said Dr. Brad Lembcke, president of Baylor St. Luke's. "Non-profit organizations like Magnificat are vital to providing meaningful services in our communities, especially for the most vulnerable." 

As much as Magnificat does now, it wants to do more with further programming to help more people, especially those with mental health diagnoses.

Gina is living proof of Magnificat’s potential to change lives. “One of the things that distinguishes Magnificat from other organizations is it tries to meet everyone where they are. Magnificat can also help individuals take that next step to becoming who they would like to be. They provided me the stability I needed and a safe place to get healthy, re-established and back on my feet. I don't think that would've been possible without the help of Magnificat.”