The JV EnCorps Community in Tacoma
By Meghan Burke (she/her) Tacoma, WA ‘23-24 & Communications Intern ’24-25
St. Leo’s Church has long been a landmark in Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood—a place shaped by Jesuit values, radical hospitality, and an unwavering commitment to justice. Fr. Bichsel Hall—named after the late Father William J. “Bix” Bichsel, SJ—faces the city on one side and shadows the alleyway of the food bank on the other: a physical reminder of a community rooted in proximity to the margins.
But the landscape is ever shifting.
Where once dozens of people gathered daily on G Street seeking meals, rest, or simply a place to exist, there are now boulders placed by the city to prevent encampments. Sweeps by the city displaced the tent encampments, moving some into shelters whilst others moved on. The truth of the area is layered: the encampments were sites of community and survival, but it was also a place of struggle marked by pockets of violence and the shadow of trafficking.
This moment reflects not just a transformation of a neighborhood, but a deeper reckoning for communities of faith that live and serve there. Amid the shifting ground, the work of accompaniment continues.
The JV EnCorps members serving at St. Leo’s saw a simple but profound need—clean clothes. For those living on the streets, access to laundry is often out of reach. Clean clothes may feel like a small thing, but they offer identity and belonging.
“We have a laundry service started by a couple of JV EnCorps members, so we have a few donated washers and dryers now for people in the community to drop off their clothes,” Paula Olson, co-leader of JV EnCorps in Tacoma, WA shared.
With persistence and heart, the JVEs at St. Leo’s are bringing an essential service to the community they serve. The program is fully led and run by the JV EnCorps members. It’s not just about clothes; it’s about being seen. It’s about saying: you matter, you deserve clean clothes, and you are not forgotten.
Though the parish is no longer Jesuit-run, the spirit of the Jesuit mission remains alive in the alley, in the hum of the washing machines, and in the hands of JV EnCorps members who continue to choose proximity to those who are pushed aside.
Whether through laundry services, financial services, or the simple hospitality of a cup of hot coffee on a cold day at the food bank, the JV EnCorps members continue to show up for the St. Leo’s Community with no plans to stop.
JV EnCorps is open to people willing to commit to 10 months of part-time service and participation in a monthly community meeting. Check out jvencorps.org for details.
