Our History

From Start-up to Shelter

From 2022 to 2024, the Albergue went from an idea with a scrap of a building attached, to an official non-profit organization with newly constructed (and still constructing) facilities and operations for providing shelter and respite for migrants moving through Morelia.

Clay Slate, Treasurer of the Patronato (Board), provided the following brief history.

In the Fall of 2022, the Archdiocese of Michoacán asked Padre Javier to start the church program that helps migrants — Movilidad Humana — for Michoacán.

Padre Javier and his compadre, Pedro, decided to rehabilitate an abandoned building at Javier’s parroquia, Juan Bosco, to serve as a shelter to house migrants in transit. They also started helping migrants who were stranded in Morelia, with food and housing.

To fix up the shelter, they collected about 250,000 pesos, with contributions, dances, and raffles in the parroquia. In late November 2022, Olga, Juan Carlos, Pantoja, Miguel, Clay and others joined the effort. A fair amount of money and goods were also gathered to help about 200 migrants passing through (many of you contributed!). Clay also worked with the ex-pat community to gather 350,000 pesos for the construction during early 2023.

Javier and Pedro’s group then formally coalesced as a charitable non-religious foundation: Albergue Sagrado Corazon Pro Migrante I.A.P.

In winter of 2023, another 90,000 pesos, and several heavy plumbing items and appliances were donated towards finishing out the first dorms and kitchen for the use of 25 migrants. Contributions of 25 beds, mattresses and bedding came from the UN. (See pictures here.)

The new shelter committee now has five permanent members, about sixty people who have physically visited and donated, and about a dozen volunteers who often attend the weekly meetings and constant activities.

Now the shelter is a non-religious charitable organization, and the land has been ceded on a 20-year rent-free contract by the church. Because the local chapel helped, the shelter is named Albergue Sagrado Corazón Pro Migrante.

The project receives no church money, but will be collaborating hand-in-hand with Movilidad Humana, Caritas, and many governmental and civic bodies.

We will always need to raise our own money and resources, from individuals (dollars), businesses, and fund-raising activities (pesos).