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From the beginning of our ministry, we knew our
outreach in the community was too limited. “I heard you help people and we have no place to stay tonight and I’m afraid for my babies.” These are typical of the calls for temporary shelter that we have gotten these past five years. Although we wanted to help them, we weren’t set up to take in strangers. But two years ago we bought a 100-year-old apartment building across the street from Good Samaritan Home and remodeled it to be used as a homeless shelter - now called Fitzpatrick House — so we could offer a safe place to anyone in need.
And it was none too soon. After a year’s hard work, we opened the doors in December and since then we have sheltered and fed 33 homeless persons, including 12 children. More important, we have helped most of them get jobs, permanent housing and to become productive members of the community. Here are some of their stories: Frank and Mary, both in their 20s, appeared at our door with their 3 children and another baby on the way. Both were unemployed. We helped both find jobs within a month and they stayed with us until they could afford their own apartment. Although Janie has just gotten a job, she was too far behind in rent to keep her apartment. So she and her three kids – all under six – came to the shelter. We connected her with a volunteer mentor, helped her start a budget and even gave her furniture when she eventually could afford her own apartment again. Robert had always been a hard worker, but when the factory closed where he had been employed for 20 years, the only job available was delivering newspapers. But he didn’t earn enough to make ends meet, and soon bills were piling up and finally he lost his apartment. That’s when he came to us for help. We helped him find a full-time job, get on a budget and begin repaying his bills. Since we opened the Fitzpatrick House in December, we have taken 33 people – including 12 children – off the streets. Most come to us with no money, no food, no job and no one to help them. Worst of all, most have no hope. So we can give them a safe place to sleep at night and plenty of food to eat. We offer emergency help when they are in crisis. But here’s the problem. We must limit time in the shelter to 14 days—30 days for families because so many people come to us for help. But what most need to get back on their feet is time and support. Let me explain. Even if a person gets a job the first day in the shelter – which is almost impossible, and even if he earns $8 an hour – which is unrealistic with most unskilled jobs available, and even if he works full time – which is not happening in our economy right now, it will take at least 14 days for him to earn $250. But even the most basic apartment requires nearly $600 up front. Then there are utility deposits, furniture, even dishes. The hard reality is that it is almost impossible to get off the streets and back into the community – without ongoing support and direction. In other words MENTORING— and that requires time. Transitional apartments That’s why the Fitzpatrick House offers more than just an emergency shelter. We offer long-term financial support, mentoring and most of all, accountability with our transitional apartments. In May we opened a one bedroom, fully furnished apartment for women and families. Here we offer housing, food and all utilities – normally costing $1,000 a month – all for just $300. In exchange we require residents to be involved in some community service activities, such as AA, GED classes, church, counseling, job training, or any other activity to better equip them to be productive members of the community. Most of all, we require they meet every week with a mentor. Most people want to change their lives. They just don’t know how. That’s what we do in the transitional apartments. We show them how.
That’s why we desperately need to finish remodeling the second transitional living apartment. Everyone of the people we have sheltered could have – should have – stayed with us longer so we could mentor them, counsel them, support then until they were able to make it on their own. But we didn’t have the space. But when we get this apartment completed, it will add 1,500 sf – a living, room, dining room / kitchen, laundry, two bedrooms and 1 ½ baths. Here four single men can stay for up to one year. They will be connected with volunteer mentors and counseled every step of the way until they can afford - and can manage - their own apartment. It will cost $15,000 to finish the transitional living apartment. We want to have it done by winter when it is needed most. The Greenville Lowe’s store has already donated $1,200 toward this project because they know it is needed in the community. Cannot do it without you If all of you will help us – if everyone will give just $10 - better yet, $10 a month, we can make Fitzpatrick House a model for renewal – a living example of Jesus’ words – “Whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Open house The Good Samaritan Home board and Kathy and I would like to show you firsthand the Fitzpatrick House emergency shelter and the family transitional apartment that is already done. We also invite you to see the men’s apartment that we need your help with. What has surprised Kathy and me the most has been the number of women and children who are homeless. Like most people, we thought “the homeless” were the hardcore unemployed, alcoholics and drug addicts. But what we found is that a lot of people are just a job layoff, a medical emergency, or a divorce away from homelessness.
Most want to get a job, most want to be paying their own way, but most have no family or community connections and they simply don’t know how to change their situations. Rather than give them a hand out that only lasts for a short time, we give them a hand up that can last for a life time. We do that because we believe that faith can only be lived out through acts of kindness to the needy in our community. When we all do that, we not only change them, but we
change us, too. Our History Good Samaritan Home was started in 2001 as Koinonia House, a residential mentoring home for Christian men coming out of prison. But when we realized we were not reaching the vast majority of needs in the community, we expanded our vision, changed our name and added to our building to help more people in need. Our Mission We believe that faith can only be lived out through acts of kindness to the needy in our community. That is what Jesus meant when he said, “Whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” For us that means using our home, our time and our lives to show Christ. Our Vision Our goal is to help heal broken lives in the community with whatever means we can. By doing that we not only change others, but we change us as well.
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