Hope for the Homeless in Itasca County

by Mary Lou Aurell

GRACE House offers hope and respite for homeless men, women and families who cross its threshold.

These people are not the stereotypical homeless who are pushing grocery carts or are toothless and filthy with long, stringy hair that we see in the movies or on television. These are people who are down on their luck, have lost their jobs, have lost their homes or have been evicted because they cannot find jobs or affordable housing.

They could be you or me, said GRACE House Volunteer Gwenn Bengston Smith. “We are all just a paycheck or a disaster away from homelessness,” she added.

Both Smith and fellow volunteer Ann Welliver have shed those stereotypical images of the homeless. “These are people who fit anywhere in society,” Welliver said. “Or many may be dealing with mental illness.”

There is more to GRACE House besides a hot meal and a place to sleep. Its activities are best explained by what the acronym ‘GRACE’ means: Give hospitality, rest and renewal; access to appropriate resources; compassion; and empowerment for the future.

Basically this means a safe shelter, three meals a day and case management services. All of the adults who come to GRACE House for more than two days must have a plan for their future outside of the shelter. “We have an extensive referral list of the agencies that can help them,” said GRACE House Director Jill Schubert. The list includes Bridges for mental health services, the Salvation Army or KOOTASCA for shelter and transportation or Itasca County Health & Human Services for food stamps or bus tickets to use for travel to job interviews or jobs.

KOOTASCA has far-reaching programs for the homeless, such as the Family Homeless Prevention Program that may provide rent assistance, mortgage foreclosure prevention or transportation to stabilize housing. “We work closely with GRACE House,” said Crisis Housing Director Becky Boelter. “We are in every GRACE House guests’ personal plans.”

Since it opened May 21, 2007, in Zion Lutheran Church, GRACE House has had 447 guests, 302 of whom were from Itasca County. Among them were 167 single moms, 71 men, 71 unaccompanied youth between ages 17-21 and 44 families with 79 children. The shelter had to turn away 107 people. The facility does not take anyone who has committed a crime against children or anyone who is being discharged from the hospital or emergency services.

GRACE House fills all 10 of its beds, though it can squeeze in 14 people. Some days as many as 7 individuals have been turned away.

“Homelessness has become worse since January,” Schubert said. “It’s harder for people to find jobs and apartment rentals are often out of reach even if they do find a job.”

Since the first of the year, out of the 38 guests at GRACE House only 6 have moved into apartments. Currently, no low-income housing is being built in the area and there is a 2-year wait for Section 8 HUD-funded subsidized housing.

The 2009 poverty guidelines that raised a few percentage points from 2008 are not helping. The guideline for a family of two is $14,570 and for a family of four, $22,050. A few dollars may separate individuals from the services they need.

Some of the GRACE House guests have found a trailer house to share. Others, who do not qualify for services, may go back to living in their cars or camping in the woods when the weather improves.

The normal stay at GRACE House is 30 days, but 6 extensions have been given since
January. Among all of the guests GRACE House has served since it opened, only 50% have found jobs. Recently, only 2 out of 38 became employed.

Welliver, who is one of the 200-plus regular volunteers who assist guests, has opened her heart to the children and pregnant women who come to the shelter. She makes bran muffins to keep families keep healthy or brings in instant waffles to add variety to the children’s breakfast menu.

“I’ve been surprised at the number of former guests who return to give back to GRACE House,” she added. Two of them are now working the night shift.

It has been difficult for Smith to see families in the shelter at Christmas time. “A newborn came to GRACE House for her first night outside the hospital. A newborn baby should not have to be in a homeless shelter. There is something really wrong with our society that allows this to happen,” she said.

However, she is grateful that “GRACE House does a fabulous job of helping people get a handle on their situation and guides them to better things.”


Links:

GRACE House
218-326-2790

Salvation Army
218-326-4847

Bridges (Northland Counseling)
http://www.northlandcounseling.org
218-326-1274

Circles of Support
http://www.kootasca.org/circles.html

KOOTASCA
http://www.kootasca.org/
218-327-2941 • 800-422-0312

Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless
www.mnhomelesscoalition.org/kootasca-community-action/resources/directory