For more than 20 years Bethel House has been meeting the needs of homeless families in the Whitewater area, and now Bethel House finds itself in need, lacking housing to support struggling local families.
Half of the six housing units that Bethel House uses have been loaned, rent-free by one generous anonymous donor but this arrangement is now coming to an end. The Bethel House Board is taking steps to replace the three housing units with the help of the local community, according to board president Bev Bonge-Ganser.
Two decades ago a local doctor learned that one of his patients, a working single parent, had spent the winter in a camper because she did not have the money for a security deposit and first month’s rent. From that moment came the idea for Bethel House, an ecumenical effort by a number of local churches to provide temporary housing to address the needs of struggling Whitewater families with children. Since its inception, a house and a duplex have been and continue to be provided rent-free by the First United Methodist Church.
Over the past 21 years, more than 100 families and 275 children have stayed in the Bethel House units, and the organization has kept many more families out of homelessness by helping with one-time rent and utility payments.
The need has not lessened. There are always more applications than there is availability. Bethel House families, most of whom have never faced homelessness before, usually come with few resources, major debt and often, serious health or emotional issues.
And the Bethel House model works, Bonge-Ganser said. Families can stay for up to a year. During that time, the coordinator, a trained social worker, connects the family with medical and other services as needed and helps the family become more stable. Families learn to budget, pay off debts, and save for emergencies and to have enough money to move to another residence on their own. With the help of the coordinator, all families leave Bethel House with a place to live and finances in place.
Bethel House receives no federal or state dollars. Support comes from the 10 participating churches, donations by organizations, local businesses, individuals and United Way funding.
Dedicated volunteers clean the houses between families and attend to the houses, installing new windows, replacing carpeting, fixing the plumbing, and generally maintaining the upkeep of the building. In the process of renovation, workers might be uncertain about getting replacement parts, such as procuring a window part substitute or getting a whole new window. Specialists who provide replacement windows Modesto or similar alternatives in their area could be contacted in situations such as this. The Bethel House, though, is a safe haven and is often used by families during times of crisis, so timely repairs and restoration are vital.
That said, the Bethel House board is committed to sustaining the same level of excellence in our effective housing program that has proven itself over the past 20 years.
“In this time of need, Bethel House will be reaching out to the community in the coming months for support in securing replacement housing units,” Bonge-Ganser said.
