Read on and file this information away. You or someone you love may benefit from this in the future…
Beacon Hill
Beacon Hill provides temporary housing to single mothers who need “a time for peace” while they get on their feet again. Beacon Hill opened their doors to clients in January, 2010 and since that time more than 20 families have called these two remodeled single-family houses ‘home’ for a season.
Charity Carmody (Acting Executive Director, President, Beacon Hill Board of Directors) gives God all the glory when she tells the story of a ‘club’ that turned first to realization of a need, then to an idea, a dream, and then very quickly to a well-respected ministry collaborating with AWAIC, Salvation Army, Clare House, The Office of Children’s Services, and more.
“The Give Club” was a group of several couples who met once a month. The idea was to identify needs in their church family and anonymously meet them with the designated sum of money each couple ‘chipped in at each meeting. They needs varied – a dentist bill here, a month’s rent there… They were stretched to go outside their comfort zone and really get to know people and they eventually felt led to do more….they at first considered signing on for rent at a unit or a hotel for shelter.
Charity spoke to a realtor about a hotel that she saw and he put her in contact with an influential member of the community who had property available. He showed Charity the property that is now Beacon Hill. Charity remembers ‘…the presence of God was so heavy. I decided that I was going to sign on it right away.’
Charity didn’t know that the elders at Anchorage City Church (ACC) had been praying and asking the Lord for direction on how to reach out to the city, specifically to the poor. They had all agreed that single mothers were the group He was directing them to reach out to, but they didn’t have a specific plan. They had already saved some money for the right time and project.
ACC’s Pastor and elders visited the site and agreed – immediately and unanimously - that this was the Lord. A very favorable lease was signed in October 2009.
The two houses needed to be remodeled and changed into multi-family units (3 in one, 2 in the other). Materials, labor, volunteers to make it livable and get it running were all necessary to make it happen.
One Sunday telling the story you just read in services at ACC and:
170 volunteers came forward
All materials were donated
Skilled laborers came forward and volunteered their time and services
Three weeks later the house was ready – completely remodeled and set up for occupancy. (3 weeks – 21 days – incredible)
In the meantime, the Lord worked out the zoning issues, and Beacon Hill was ready for residents.
Nita Thomas is the next miracle in this story. Nita had just returned from running an orphanage in the Sudan. She felt that God was telling her to stay. She asked…”are you looking for a resident manager?” Due to various life experience, and her heart and passion, Nita was a perfect fit.
Beacon Hill runs on a budget of $8,500/month (posted on website) with a full-time resident manager and part-time case manager. Volunteers mow the 2-acre lot, clean, paint, and maintain the property. There is a “Welcome Team” that prepares the units for new residents – which includes setting up each unit to meet the needs of each family (numbers of beds in bedrooms, etc).
Another volunteer team provides each family a Welcome Basket with age-appropriate toys for each child and treats for the mother. The team also delivers a warm meal for each family’s first two nights at Beacon Hill. Each resident family is also matched with a “Support Family” to come alongside each mother as a surrogate aunt and uncle. These families receive training on what it is like to be homeless, and how to minister to them effectively.
Beacon Hill has a great working relationship with the Office of Children’s Services. If the only thing keeping a mother from being reunited with her kids is housing, they will move kids in to Beacon Hill with their mother. (As you can imagine, those reunions are particularly sweet.)
Mothers:
· Must be referred by church or agency (such as AWAIC)
· Must have custody of their children (or an agreement with OCS as explained above)
· Must be working (at least part-time)
· Must not have a history of ‘high lethality’ domestic violence
· Length of stay: 3 months with 1 month extensions after that
o Rent is charged (sometimes split or sponsored by church or other agency)
o $250 month 1; $350 month 2; $500 month 3 & all additional months in extension
§ This helps the mother to ‘buy in’ to the program
§ Gets residents used to the idea of paying rent
· Must submit to drug tests when they first arrive, and random tests after that (all family member 14 and older)
· Must work with case manager to move toward transitioning to public or permanent housing
· All children may stay with their mother – even teenage boys
· Families will feel like they are living on their own with a lot of support.
The success stories are amazing. There was a woman who called to see if she could move in. When she learned that Beacon Hill does not accept self-referrals, she was asked if she attended a church. She did. The church was not aware that she was struggling and rallied around her. She had the referral and more support than she imagined from her church family.
Just last month nearly $20,000 was raised (in 3 days mostly on Facebook – originally asked 163 families to donate $100 each) to purchase a home for a resident – a single mother who moved to Anchorage form Sudan with her 7 children. Local businesses heard about the project and chipped in materials and labor to move the home to its present lot, provide flooring and installation, painting, a deck…the list goes on. (See full story on the Beacon Hill website).
“We don’t know where the money comes from…a little here, a little there and God is faithful to provide our needs.”
Beacon Hill is an amazing ministry meeting very real, practical needs every day. They provide a place of solace for children and provide a time of peace for mothers while they take that last necessary steps to be able to stand on their own – all while being showered with the love of Christ.
This all started with a group of friends who looked at people around them, chipped in and anonymously met the needs they could. Little did they know that 20 + families, countless children, and generations would be impacted.
I’m inspired. Are you? Call some friends – chip in $5, $20, $100 (any amount you can) and meet a need. I have a feeling it’s contagious. You may have the next Beacon Hill miracle story in your circle, and our city needs all the miracles it can get!
By the way, the land that Beacon Hill sits on is already zoned for more buildings. How many more buildings, ministries, and outreach opportunities will be birthed out of this? I don’t know…but I’m looking forward to watching it unfold.
Want to help or contribute? Visit their website: www.beaconhill.org. Do you know a single mom who needs a place to stay? The referral form is also available online.
No comments:
Post a Comment