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In the shadow of Aberdeen's train station, so close that you hear the clatter of passing trains, a small faith-based organization has been quietly assisting families for 14 years on a different kind of journey: from homelessness back to self-sufficiency.
Started in 1989 by churches in the Episcopal Regional Council, Holy Family House was created "to provide safe transitional housing for homeless families with children." Providing support such as free transitional housing for up to six months, life-skills training and even cooking lessons, Holy Family House has grown from an all-volunteer organization with one housing unit to a full-fledged nonprofit organization with three professional staff members, 16 housing units and a budget of $225,000.
Demand for its services continues to grow because of the perceived success of Holy Family House's model and because homelessness in Harford County is becoming more acute. In just one year, from July 2001 through June 2002, Holy Family House provided 9,922 bed nights to 31 families.
During that same period, Holy Family House turned down 187 families, either because of lack of space or because the families did not fit Holy Family House's criteria for admission. Families applying for residency there must be highly motivated to succeed, work full time or attend school, have no criminal background and agree to work with staff to actively improve their situations.
"Holy Family House fills such a great need," says Mary Chance, Harford County's director of community services, which provides financial and technical assistance to Holy Family House. "They're the only organization in Harford County that tries to provide shelter for intact families."
It is usually young women alone who head the households in residence. Of the 31 families served in the period ending last June, only six included fathers. And out of 16 families currently in residence, only two have men.
Most of the mothers are young women in their late teens or early 20s, living on their own or fleeing domestic violence or unsafe living conditions. Consequently, much of the emphasis at Holy Family House is on offering a safe and supportive environment.
"A big part of what we do is take away part of the burden from the families and let them relax and just catch up. It gives them a chance to get established," says Joanne Bowman, a member of Holy Family House's board since the early 1990s.
In addition to providing free housing and utilities in individual apartments, Holy Family House also sponsors mandatory life-skills training and parenting classes, teaches residents to manage money, and works with them to set and meet attainable goals.
Staff members also ensure that families file for and receive appropriate social services from state and local agencies. And to provide as much support as possible, they assign each family a sponsoring church, which furnishes an apartment before a family moves in and helps with other needs.
But perhaps most important, Holy Family House gives residents the opportunity to live in a healthy, family-oriented environment while they are putting their lives back on track.
"Most of our residents have never really had homes," says Patrick McCarty, a retired elementary school principal who is executive director of Holy Family House. "They all exhibit survival behavior, but most of them lack appropriate skills and socialization, and they don't understand cause and effect."
His role, he comments wryly, sometimes resembles the stern father figure.
"I try to convey what it costs to run a place like this - 48 cents a minute. That means you don't set the thermostat at 83 degrees and run around half-naked," he says.
The Williamses got behind in payments on their car and apartment. Eventually, they got kicked out, and their car was repossessed. A relative of Kristina Williams refused to take them in, and they ended up homeless, right about the time she was due with her second child.
McCarty beamed as Cameron brought him a floppy disk and pointed at a nearby computer. Seconds later, Cameron was happily ensconced at McCarty's desk.
"The love has to come first," McCarty says. "As a Christian, I felt this drive to serve. I felt it as a calling."
Alma Schwanke, Holy Family's caseworker, and Jenett Ebright, the agency's secretary, both echo McCarty's commitment and faith.
"I wanted to do something that could make a difference," Ebright explains, proudly showing off photographs of residents' children that grace her walls.
"I got tired of arguing with God," Schwanke says with a sly grin. "A lot of people couldn't do this job, but the caring is what's needed. A lot of these girls need a mother."
Kristina Williams, Cameron's 21-year-old mother, clearly thrives under the attentive care she gets there. Neither Williams - on her own since age 15 - nor her husband has outside family support. It has fallen to Schwanke to help the Williamses figure out how to pay outstanding bills, make good on old debts that caused their homelessness, and work to restore their damaged credit rating.
"I go to Miss Alma for everything," Williams says proudly, looking at Schwanke gratefully. "It's such a blessing. Without Holy Family House, we'd still be in a motel on Route 40."
Instead, the Williamses expect to leave Holy Family House in the next two months. They hope to move into Baldwin Manor, an apartment complex owned by the same family that owns Delle Court, where the Williamses are living and where Holy Family House is located.
"Their success rate isn't 100 percent, but these folks have so many problems that the fact they are successful in some cases is great," Karas says.
Even McCarty isn't sure what the success rate is. Schwanke says it is somewhere between 50 percent and 75 percent. They don't have the staff to track all the families who have left. But their achievements are such that they continue to receive strong backing from local churches and government agencies.
"Actually, Holy Family House and other faith-based organizations are so successful precisely because of the support they receive from churches," Community Services' Chance points out. "We will always need the help of the faith community to assist the homeless. They put the sweat equity into the problems and they support families in a loving way."
Even with that support, however, running organizations such as Holy Family House is difficult at best, and it does not come close to meeting the need. Government funding is dwindling at the same time the homeless population is growing and requiring more services. Last year, Holy Family House received just over $20,000 in grants from Harford County. This year, according to county officials, that figure may drop somewhat. An increase is out of the question.
Community resistance to homeless shelters is also a complicating factor. A recent plan by another faith-based coalition in Harford County to build a shelter was withdrawn because of community opposition. For that reason, McCarty is not sure whether Holy Family House will ever own its own buildings, which it would like to do.
"We've had people walk out the door after six months and never even say thank you," he says. "And it's hard when you know they're lying to you not to say, 'Get out.' Or to understand why they don't have the same get-up-and-go you do."
McCarty and his staff readily acknowledge that for their part, residents struggle, too. A recent suicide by one of the women in their program haunts them all. And they make a conscious effort every day to remember, as Lonnie Williams says, that "being homeless feels like it's never going to get better."
Copyright © 2003, The Baltimore Sun