Housing Heroes Profile: St. Luke's

The Housing Heroes profile series covers LEAP’s advocates and major donors who advance the mission of affordable housing in Idaho. The gift by St. Luke’s is one of eight donations offering matching funds to all donations in the month of December during Avenues for Hope. To utilize St. Luke’s donation, visit our Avenues for Hope donation page.

Undeniably to most in the Treasure Valley, St. Luke’s is a beacon of hope. Without their expertise, care, and dedication to helping the community, Boise would be a much bleaker place. Luckily for us, St. Luke’s is committed to providing for those in their communities, not only through palliative care but also through ensuring safe, comforting, and affordable housing for all. 

We aren't alone when we don’t think that housing is something most of us would tie immediately to medical providers, but as Theresa McLeod, St. Luke’s Administrator of Community Health & Engagement says, “When people experience homelessness or unsafe and unstable housing, their health often suffers. At St. Luke’s, our mission is to improve the health of the communities we serve. That means partnering with a variety of organizations, like LEAP, to help ensure people have safe, stable housing, and in turn, have the opportunity to live their healthiest lives.”

In order to achieve success in helping their community, Theresa stresses that organizations need to work together in order to bring about this change. “While we will always be there for people in need of medical care, we also believe in working ‘upstream’ and addressing the social determinants of health, like affordable housing. We also know that no single organization can do that alone. We encourage friends and supporters to join the effort to make life healthier for our community members.” 

As Theresa noted, “LEAP’s ability to bring the City of Mountain Home and other health care organizations together for the Falcon’s Landing project is a great example of the innovative approach we value.”   

Thanks to St. Luke’s, LEAP’s Avenues for Hope journey was aided by their selfless donation of $5,000. This matching donation allows the community to come together and create opportunities for new homeowners, for renters, for all. St. Luke’s is quite literally helping us to create home, together. 

St. Luke’s sets out to maximize their “contribution by inspiring others”. Based on their generosity and support, we think it is safe to say they are doing just that, each and every day.