In 1871, he was placed in charge of the "Newsboys' Lodging House", a project of the St. Vincent de Paul Society located at 53 Warren Street in Manhattan. Under his leadership, this program expanded, and he soon found the building inadequate for the needs of his newsboy charges. Seeking funds to build a larger home for newsboys, he founded a new organization, the St. Joseph's Union, and began publishing "The Homeless Child and Messenger of St. Joseph's Union".