About Us

Our Organization

Good Samaritan House was started in 2001 by using our own house as a residential mentoring home for men coming out of prison. But when we realized we were not reaching the needs in the community, in leap of faith we started buying and remodeling more houses to offer a safe place for homeless people to get back on their feet–not with a hand out, but a hand up. Over the next seventeen years we added one house after another until now we have 17 houses in three counties where more than a thousand men and women have gotten a second chance.

  • We believe that faith is lived out through acts of kindness 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.

The new Good Samaritan Home white two-story house with a front porch, surrounded by trees with orange and green leaves, and lush greenery in front in Ohio.
Old two-story brick house with a wraparound porch, decorative porch columns, and tall windows.Original Good Samaritan Home brick house with a front porch, tall windows, and a bay window on the second floor in Ohio.

Where We Began

Our housing expansion and initiative to provide long-term affordable housing for those looking for re-entry in Ohio.

Where We Began

  • 2001 - Original Greenville Home Opens

    A fixer-upper that we could afford in Greenville became our first re-entry home. Reggie came to live with us and helped us on some of the remodel.

  • A large brick house with a front porch, surrounded by green grass and trees, under a clear blue sky depicting Good Samaritan Home's housing expansion for those looking for re-entry.

    2006 - Greenville Housing Grows

    We realized one house wasn’t enough. We bought the house across the street with little money and a lot of faith to meet the growing need for support.

  • A two-story beige house with a front porch and stairs, green bushes and trees in front, and a sidewalk in a residential neighborhood depicting Good Samaritan Home's housing expansion for those looking for re-entry.

    2009 - Another Greenville Home Opens

    The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction asked us to house more men, and that meant buying and remodeling another house.

    These men received long-term affordable house and we got a chance to offer them a long-term mentoring relationship.

  • Collage of nine different houses, each with distinct architectural styles and colors, featuring front yards with grass, shrubs, and trees depicting Good Samaritan Home's housing expansion for those looking for re-entry.

    2011 to 2013 - The Dayton Expansion

    We were asked to greatly expand our Dayton housing which meant additional houses and three apartment buildings for long-term housing for men coming out of prison.

  • A house with white walls and dark green trim, surrounded by trees with colorful autumn leaves, on a sunny day depicting Good Samaritan Home's housing expansion for those looking for re-entry.

    2012 - Original Re-Entry House Completed

    After 11 years, our original re-entry house was habitable. We saw this house like the men we housed and mentored. It’s not what they look like today, but what they will become someday.

  • A two-story house with a covered front porch supported by brick columns, beige siding, and a dark roof. There is a grassy lawn in front and trees in the background depicting Good Samaritan Home's housing expansion for those looking for re-entry.

    2015 - Dayton Housing Grows

    More long-term housing was needed, so we purchased and remodeled another house in Dayton.

  • A light green two-story house with black railings on the front porch, located in Dayton in 2018 depicting Good Samaritan Home's housing expansion for those looking for re-entry.

    2018 - Two More Dayton Homes

    When the Ohio DRC announced plans to expand our reentry program for “hard-to-place” referrals, in an act of faith, we bought two more houses before our proposal was approved.

  • A two-story yellow house with a dark roof and front steps, located in Dayton in 2018 depicting Good Samaritan Home's housing expansion for those looking for re-entry.

    2018 - Dayton's Next Expansion

    Now we have 17 safe, clean affordable houses in three counties for men and women coming from prison! 

  • Yellow two-story house with white window frames and a front porch, located in a residential neighborhood in Dayton, 2018 depicting Good Samaritan Home's housing expansion for those looking for re-entry.

    2018 - The Dayton Duplex

    The house next to one of our properties was listed for sale and opportunity came knocking. This house has six bedrooms and can house 12 more men!

Stories From
Those We’ve Helped

  • Four children and one woman sitting on a porch step. The woman is in a gray hoodie, and the children are in colorful casual clothing. They are smiling and sitting outdoors in front of a house.

    Christy

    Christy Winans and her three kids had stayed at the shelter. After they moved out, the children died in a September 16 Greenville house fire, leaving Christy alone to face a lifetime of second-guessing. The tragedy made clear that a temporary shelter was not nearly enough. Good Samaritan Home committed to developing long-term affordable housing paired with budgeting, job training, family support, and mentoring. The lesson became central to its belief that programs don’t change people; people change people.

  • A smiling woman sitting on a floral sofa with three young children, two boys and a girl, in a living room. The girl, sitting in the middle, has curly blonde hair and is wearing a pink and white striped long sleeve shirt. The boy on the left has straight light brown hair, braces, and is wearing a red sports jersey with the number 15. The boy on the right has curly blonde hair and is wearing a black shirt with a silver design.

    Cherokee

    Cherokee and her three children were desperate for a place to stay. She had lost her house and was about to lose her job if she did not have housing. They stayed in the shelter for three months while she saved enough money to get her own apartment. “Staying here has helped me financially, emotionally, and in so many ways,” she said.

  • An elderly man sitting on a bench wearing a red winter hat with ear flaps, a leather jacket, a plaid shirt, and jeans against a gray brick wall.

    Jimmy

    Jimmy had first been featured in 2011 after years of homelessness and mental-health struggles. Long-term housing gave him a safe, warm home, enough food, and help managing his money. Jimmy stayed with GSH until March 2023, when he died at age 80. The newsletter said he had been happy during the last 16 years of his life, surrounded by people who cared for him.

  • Two middle-aged men standing outdoors, smiling and with arms around each other's shoulders. One man wears glasses, a blue zip-up jacket, and the other wears a plaid shirt and has a beard. They are in front of houses and trees on a cloudy day.

    Tommy

    Tommy was still living with Good Samaritan Home. At 62, with severe COPD and only Social Security income, he had few other options. “I don’t have anyone else. I don’t know what I would do,” he said. Manager Josh Green described moments like this as evidence of the good in residents and the power of the help GSH provides.