Dedicated to the Franciscan mission of responding to present day needs, Coleman served as a math teacher for more than two decades in elementary and secondary schools in the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

In 1975, as part of a team that conducted a census for St. Augustine Parish in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood, Coleman discovered many senior adults were in need of affordable, maintenance-free living.

As a result she collaborated with religious leaders and businessmen in the Pittsburgh area and Christian Housing, Inc. was born. “This has been a team effort since day one,” explains Coleman.

In 1976, the first senior adult living community, St. Augustine Plaza, was established in Lawrenceville, across the street from the church. Since then, as executive director of Christian Housing, Coleman has been instrumental in developing 23 additional senior adult high rise apartments, constructed on unused church properties throughout the Dioceses of Pittsburgh and Greensburg. Funded by the federal government’s department of Housing and Urban Development, “our primary purpose has been to meet the housing needs of the poor,” says Coleman.  In addition, she serves as executive director of Housing Management Services and remains involved in the day-to-day operations of these facilities.

Coleman admits she has become adept at multi-tasking, and is quick to share another trade secret. “One of our greatest successes has been the women religious from 11 communities who continue to serve as facility managers,” she explains. “They are so giving and committed to creating a community spirit and love for neighbor, so that our facilities are not just a place to live, but a way of life.”