Krista Fiser & St. Mary’s Community Services: Building Hope

St. Mary’s Community Services, formerly known as St. Mary’s Dining Room, is making major strides to help support the homeless community in Stockton. With new CEO Krista M. Fiser, MA, leading the way, there’s a renewed sense of hope for the city.

Serving three meals a day, seven days a week, St. Mary’s provides more than 230,000 meals annually to over 5,000 homeless individuals in the San Joaquin region. For years, homelessness in Stockton appeared to be an ever-growing challenge, with encampments visible throughout the city and no clear solution in sight. That began to change in late 2023, when St. Mary’s partnered with the City of Stockton and San Joaquin County to take meaningful steps towards addressing the crisis.

A part of the solution has been building partnerships. In the spring of 2025, Krista Fiser was appointed CEO of St. Mary’s. With prior experience as CEO of PREVAIL (formerly Women’s Center) and studies in Community Health Education and Non-Profit Leadership Management, she brings both the expertise and passion to the role. “There is a lot of need, and I feel very passionate and specific in how that need can be met,” Fiser says. “There’s this perception that were not doing anything,” she adds, referencing the empty buildings and transient communities seen throughout Stockton. Fiser recognizes the key to reducing homelessness is moving beyond a crisis-only mindset and addressing the whole picture, which requires time and persistence. She identifies four essential components for lasting success: 1) safe and stable housing, 2) mental and physical well-being, 3) employment or education that leads to income, and 4) permanent community connections. “We need to help the unsheltered create sustainability and self-sufficiency,” she says.

Fiser knows this work requires collaboration, not just from one agency but from the entire community. Existing services at St. Mary’s, such as dental and medical center, hygiene facilities, showers and clothing, are just the beginning. She’s calling for more partners, including banks to teach financial literacy, employers to assist with job placement and increased giving to make use of all the services that Stockton has to offer.

The City of Stockton’s partnership with St. Mary’s has already resulted in the creation of the Zeiter Navigation Center, an expansion of St. Mary’s that will provide shelter for 17 additional families, adding to the existing 27. Another major project underway is Pathways Neighborhood, a tiny homes initiative that will house 268 people. Both projects are expected to be complete by the end of 2025. “What I want people to know is we are building a comprehensive shelter program, not just services.” The ten-acre campus provides case management, substance abuse support and after-school care. “We are a comprehensive campus, a little city,” she remarks.

By 2026, St. Mary’s will have expanded from 30 to over 200 employees and added 600 beds, making it one of, if not the largest, single-site shelter program in the state. Fiser is especially hopeful about how these programs will meet the needs of different populations, each receiving tailored support and more outreach from the community. “There’s no one specific path. Agencies are doing bits and pieces of the big picture,” she explains. “The reality is that organizations could be doing more.”

In her role at St. Mary’s, Fiser aims to unite agencies to achieve lasting programs and meaning results.

To learn more about the St. Mary’s Community Services or how you can get involved, visit smcares.org or reach out directly to Krista Fiser.
545 W Sonora St Stockton | 209-467-0703 | smcares.org