Grace Place News

• Grace Place Benefit Raises $7,300
• United Way and Grace Place: a partnership that pays off
• Grace Place plans to host open house
• Grace Place, an amazing community building project
• New hope for homeless
• Convent to become homeless shelter

Grace Place Benefit Raises $7,300

R&D Catering Banquet Facility held its wine tasting and silent auction to benefit United Way and Salvation Army's Grace Place Nov. 21, raising $7,300.

“We are so grateful for everything that the staff at Ready Randy’s does to make the benefit a success,” said United Way St. Croix Valley Executive Director John Coughlin. “The $7,300 raised helps to keep the doors open at Grace Place.”

Event sponsors included Mix 105 FM, WIXK AM, Xcel Energy - Hudson, Anchor Bank, First National Community Bank, Edward Jones and Company and the Office of Jill Schreck.

Photo: United Way Executive Director John Coughlin and St. Croix County Salvation Army Director Duana Bremer accept a check from Jackie Rivard, Banquet Manager and Randy Calleja, Owner of R&D Catering Banquet Facility.

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United Way and Grace Place: a partnership that pays off

Shelter provides more than just a place to sleep

BY MEG HEATON
News Staff Reporter
Hudson Star-Observer
Mar. 12, 2009

It has been almost eight years since the first meeting of the Pierce/St. Croix Housing Resource Network in May 2001 when people began talking about opening a shelter in the area. Just a year and a half later, Grace Place opened in Somerset and has been operating ever since.

That first year, Grace Place provided around 1,400 “bed nights.” Last year Grace Place provided more than 9,100 nights in a clean, safe environment for individuals and families in need of a home. With the economic downturn, the need is expected to rise even more dramatically in the coming months and years.

Following that first meeting in 2001, the United Way St. Croix Valley board of directors decided to get behind the effort in a big way.

“It was the first time we had undertaken a leadership role with an initiative like Grace Place. We raised the initial money and worked with St. Anne’s (Catholic Church) in Somerset to get the former convent. We then worked with Derrick Construction, J Mar Builders and the St. Croix Valley Builders Association to make the renovations, most at cost,” said John Coughlin, executive director of United Way St. Croix Valley.

Coughlin said the United Way spearheaded the fund-raising for the building renovations. The Salvation Army agreed to provide staff as did WestCAP. Students from St. Anne’s Catholic School came up with the name Grace Place.

Combined and collaborative efforts like those that built Grace Place continue to expand and support the services offered to residents there. Most of the rooms in the home were sponsored by churches or other groups who agreed to provide furnishings and decorate the space. They continue to sponsor the rooms with upkeep and improvements.

Duana Bremer of the Salvation Army is the director of Grace Place, but now divides her time between there and Serenity House, a shelter in Balsam Lake. She said Grace Place provides families and individuals more than just a bed to sleep in. She calls them “wrap-around services,” things like help finding employment, after-school tutoring, parenting skills and transportation to and from work.

The Grace Place meal program provides meals Monday through Thursday. The food is prepared and served by volunteers, and residents are required to partake of the evening meals. There is also an after-school tutoring program that all children living at the shelter are required to attend.

Volunteer Kay Brooks contacts the children’s teachers and finds out what subject each child needs help with. Parents are also required to attend parent/teacher conferences and can be accompanied by Brooks if they desire.

Bremer says many of the parents have had bad experiences themselves in school and are reluctant to get involved with their children’s education. Brooks can serve as an advocate for both the parents and their children with the school. Most of the children in the shelter show at least a half grade improvement in their performance after being in the tutoring program.

“When residents first come to us, a lot of them don’t like that we require them to go to the meals and have their kids in the tutoring program. But almost without fail, when they leave us, those are the things they mention as being important to them,” said Bremer.

Residents at Grace Place also receive help finding employment if they need it. Volunteers work with them on applications and resumes and interview skills. The shelter provides transportation when necessary to interviews and jobs. The Family Resource Center, the Wisconsin Job Service and UW-Extension all work with Grace Place residents, all with the goal of helping them find employment and saving the money necessary to find a home of their own for their families.

Over the years, Grace Place has expanded with the help of United Way St. Croix Valley and other organizations. The former convent chapel was added to the space and renovated to provide additional living space for single men and women. The shelter is also home to the Somerset Food Pantry, which not only serves Grace Place but anyone in need of food in the area. At present the shelter has room for up to seven families, or a total of 24 people.

Something to be proud of

Both Coughlin and Bremer say the success of Grace Place is something the community can be proud of. They point to it as an example of effective collaboration. For the United Way St. Croix Valley, Grace Place was the first time the organization took on more of a role than fund-raising, and the gamble worked.

“Grace Place gave United Way more visibility and a very concrete example of what the funds we raise can do. We worked with other groups like the Salvation Army, WestCAP and others to make it happen, and we can all take pride in that,” said Coughlin.

Bremer says simply, “Without the United Way, Grace Place wouldn’t be there today. And the other facilities in the area that have opened since Grace Place—Faith House in New Richmond, the House of Blessings in Osceola and Serenity House—have all benefited from the success of that first effort.”

And the work continues. The United Way St. Croix Valley’s most recent initiative has been the Food Resource Center located in the town of Hudson. The center serves as a clearing house for thousands of pounds of food going to more than a dozen food shelves throughout the area.

Bremer and Coughlin are also working with ministers in River Falls and others to address homelessness in their area with a goal of having a facility like Grace Place in Pierce County.

Coughlin and Bremer both know that with the unemployment and homelessness on the rise in a declining economy, the resources of both their organizations will be strained. But they are hoping the success of Grace Place and its residents will inspire the community to keep supporting their work.

More information

To learn more about the efforts of United Way St. Croix Valley, or to make a donation, call (715) 377-0203 or visit www.unitedwaystcroix.org. For more information about Grace Place, to make a donation or to volunteer call (715) 247-2944 or go online at www.salvation-armywi.org.

Credit: Hudson Star-Observer
© 2009 Forum Communications Co.
Reprinted with permission

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Grace Place plans to host open house

Event marks the end of hours of volunteer work

BY BRANDON LORENZ
News Staff Reporter
New Richmond News
Oct. 24, 2002

Grace Place, a transitional shelter in Somerset for jobless residents and children, will be hosting an open house Nov. 17.

The event marks the culmination of month of work, says Gail Macomber, who services as director of the project with The Salvation Army.

"It's just amazing how many people have donated stuff," said Macomber. "We couldn't afford to do this without volunteers."

Originally a convent for St. Anne's Church, Grace Place was converted into a homeless shelter over the summer.

With five bedrooms, several bathrooms, a kitchen, living room, dining room and laundry facilities, the building should have room to house about a dozen people.

The program is an offshoot of New Richmond's Faith House, but unlike Faith House, Grace Place will be staffed 24 hours a day.

Programming for the facility will be the responsibility of The Salvation Army, with funding provided by the United Way.

"Our board committed to this early on," said St. Croix County United Way Executive Director John Coughlin. "We know we've got the operating expenses for the first year. Now we're looking for funds over the long haul."

Although The Salvation Army is the driving force behind the programming, Macomber says she intends to utilize area resources.

Macomber says she plans on asking UW Extension officials to offer budgeting workshops for the residents with other groups like WestCap offering workshops on other important job and life skills.

"The rules are pretty strict," said Macomber, who says that residents are not allowed to smoke or drink during their stay at Grace Place. They must also adhere to a curfew.

"You have to be part of the functioning body here," added Macomber.

While coordinating the immense amount of volunteer man hours and donations that went into making Grace Place a reality was sometimes difficult, Macomber says that she has no doubts that the program will be successful.

Macomber should know. Prior to serving as director to Grace Place, she was an occupant at Faith House.

"I believe with every bit of my being that this is a successful program," said Macomber.

"I'm amazed at the demand," she said. "In Faith House, I have to choose between three or four families. That is really hard to do."

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Grace Place, an amazing community building project

BY MARY CATON-ROSSER
Home Guide 2002-2003
St. Croix Valley Home Builders Association

A cooperative community building project has helped to open Grace Place in Somerset. The facility will provide temporary housing and services for individuals and families in transition. The former convent at St. Anne's Catholic Church served as the site of the renovation project.

Area residents concerned with housing issues formed an ad-hoc committee called the Pierce-St. Croix Housing Resource Network a couple of years ago. Hudson-based United Way of St. Croix County agreed to host the monthly meetings. The need for short-term (30-45 days) transitional housing for the area was the group's focus issue. Through discussion, the committee identified the former convent at St. Anne's Catholic Church in Somerset as vacant. "We approached the pastor," explains John Coughlin, Executive Director of the United Way of St. Croix County. "The United Way signed a sixteen-month lease on the building and took over payment of the utilities."

The United Way of St. Croix County then committed money towards renovations and operations. The main work involved totally redoing two existing bathrooms and putting in a third full bathroom, plus making an office area.

Coughlin prepared several grant proposals and secured funding from the Hugh J. Andersen Foundation and Otto Bremer Foundation. "I approached a builder who had done work on my home about donating time for some renovation to the convent," says Coughlin. "He brought me to a St. Croix Valley Home Builders Association board meeting and I asked for their help."

From there, Coughlin says the project took off. Derrick Construction of New Richmond became the general contractor and other SCVBA members also joined in. He adds that there were so many individuals, businesses and organizations involved that he hesitates to start naming "because I will forget someone."

"John Coughlin contacted us regarding the Grace Place project in February 2002 when the United Way and Salvation Army became interested in converting the empty convent into Grace Place," explains Don Martin of J-Mar Buildings in Somerset. "They were interested in determining if the conversion of the existing dwelling was a realistic project."

Martin says he asked designer Ed Hawksford of Bayport to come up with a preliminary concept for Grace Place, while J-Mar decided to donate carpentry labor for the demolition, and framing and finish carpentry. "We gathered input from various subcontractors we work with and put together a full cost construction project," Martin explains. "The proposed cost was substantially more than various nonprofit agencies could swing, so we decided to approach the St. Croix Valley Home Builders Association for help obtaining donated labor and materials."

Ron Derrick volunteered to work with the state inspectors to reduce some of the expense due to building code items.

Grace Place will house about a dozen people at a time, and is directed towards helping single women and families with children, although it is not a homeless shelter. Residents will have weekly goals, and must be actively working to help themselves. The United Way of St. Croix County has arranged for the management of daily operations to be handled by The Salvation Army and director, Gail Macomber.

Martin reflects, "I believe it was an important cooperative project primarily because of the increasing shortages of affordable housing in St. Croix County. There is a demand for temporary shelter for families in need. It was a great opportunity for our builder's association to give back to our community, and in general, is a good example of the kind of volunteerism we can all do to strengthen our sense of community in our new post 9/11 reality."

United Way of St. Croix County is an independent nonprofit corporation governed by a seventeen member local board, operating with a small staff and many volunteers. Coughlin adds, "In simple terms, we identify problems and opportunities in St. Croix County, conduct an annual fundraising campaign and then disburse the money to over seventy nonprofit agencies in the area."

A needs assessment of the St. Croix. Croix Valley, which originally highlighted the housing issue for the Pierce-St. Croix Housing Network, was done by the Wilder Foundation. It is listed under St. Croix Valley at www.wilder.org/research. Find more information on the United Way of St. Croix County at www.unitedwaystcroix.org.

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New hope for homeless

BY JOE WINTER
Catholic Herald Correspondent

SOMERSET -- After serving as a house for the sisters at St. Anne Church and School for more than 80 years, St. Anne's convent will serve as a homeless shelter once all funding is obtained.

When the last nuns left the convent last fall, St. Anne parishioner Joe Bilgrien, who works for Lutheran Social Services proposed the idea to Fr. Jim Brinkman, St. Anne pastor, and Gail Macomber, director of the Salvation Army's Faith House in New Richmond.

Officials say the proposal definitely will go through and the design of the convent makes it good for a shelter. John Coughlin, executive director of the United Way of St. Croix County and a St. John parishioner, said there was a bedroom for mother superior and eight other bedrooms, plus an undeveloped third floor.

At one point a wall was torn down to turn four bedrooms into a pair of double rooms suitable for families, and Coughlin said the building is in great shape. It even has a fireplace, an amenity you won't find in most shelters.

"This is perfect," Macomber said while touring the convent recently with members of a housing resource network and local churches who are working diligently to find the funding and staff to transform it into a shelter. She said the number of homeless families in Pierce and St. Croix counties is higher than most people realize. "I get about 10 calls per day from people looking for housing," Macomber said.

Coughlin agreed that although most St. Croix County residents don't perceive it, the need for a homeless shelter definitely exists.

Bilgrien and Macomber, along with other organizations in the Pierce-St. Croix Housing Resource Network, have been working since June to find a building for an emergency and transitional shelter in the county. The convent fits that need, they said.

The network includes area churches, West CAP, Salvation Army, United Way, St. Croix County Department on Aging, Lutheran Brotherhood, Lutheran Social Services, Turningpoint, Pierce and St. Croix counties UW extension services, Habitat for Humanity, Workforce Resource, Christian Volunteers in Christ and Operation Help. Macomber, Bilgrien and Bobbie Kado of WestCAP spearheaded the committee in June with the help of Coughlin.

Officials hope to get 12 congregations involved with the project, and four are already on board: First Lutheran in New Richmond, Bethel Lutheran in Hudson, Ezekiel Lutheran in River Falls and English Lutheran in Ellsworth. If three or more Lutheran congregations get behind the effort, a grant is available, and Coughlin and Bilgrien are writing an application.

The connection with congregations means that miscellaneous supplies for daily living needs could be obtained on short notice, Coughlin said.

Federal dollars are being sought for long-term funding. Meanwhile, organizers also are looking for short-term funding, and a $20,000 grant has been obtained from the United Way of St. Croix County.

There is no timetable for implementation, even though the snow is flying, Coughlin said. "It's definitely priority," he said. "We started looking at the issue in June. The challenge will be to find 24-hour staff and volunteers.

"We are looking for congregations that would have some parishioners available for two days every month, or every two months, to serve an evening meal, then stay around and interact with them."

Besides providing a place to sleep and three meals a day, the staff will counsel people to become self-sufficient by teaching them how to budget money and learn job skills. The Job Service office in New Richmond has indicated it will help toward that end.

Another question is maximum length of stay, and the shelter will probably follow the lead of Faith House in New Richmond, which lets people stay for 30 days, with another 30 days as an option, "if people stay on track" and search for employment, Coughlin said. The organizers also contacted officials at a homeless shelter in Eau Claire for advice.

The shelter would be for single mothers and families, but not single men, he said.

While a survey is in the works to specify what circumstances cause homelessness in the region, Macomber said most of the people asking for help are young mothers or families who have lost their jobs or have high medical bills.

Right before Christmas, Macomber knew of at least four local homeless families. She said two were living in a motel room and one with family members. Macomber said that at any one time, there are 10 local families who could use the shelter's help.

Bilgrien has been getting more and more reports from individuals and pastors about people not being able to find affordable housing in St. Croix and Pierce counties.

Two years ago an article, "St. Croix Valley: Lay of the Land," was published by the Wilder Research Center. "Rising housing costs make it difficult for low-income residents to live in the area," it concluded. "Many low-income households pay too much for housing."

© Superior Catholic Herald, 2002

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Convent to become homeless shelter

BY KEVIN HARTER
Pioneer Press
Jan. 27, 2002

Somerset, Wis. - In the heart of one of the Midwest's most affluent counties - Wisconsin's St. Croix - and surrounded by housing developments soon to be occupied by commuters, a convent is being converted into a homeless shelter.

The empty convent on the grounds of St. Anne Catholic Church will serve what some call the "hidden homeless."

"The need is so much greater than people realize in this county," said Gail Macomber, director of the Salvation Army's Faith House in New Richmond. Homelessness is often stereotyped as an urban problem.

"That's one of the myths," Macomber said. "They are here. But they're not under bridges. They're in cars, camping out or staying with friends. And they're not from someplace else. Most are born and raised in the area."

Homeless outside Milwaukee, Madison or the Twin Cities tends to be an "invisible problem," she said. While drug and alcohol abuse or mental health problems are contributing factors in some cases, they aren't the problem in all.

"Job loss and medical bills are the two big ones," Macomber said, "followed by domestic abuse and expensive housing here."

To address the issue, a group of churches and social service agencies formed the Pierce-St. Croix Housing Resource Network last June.

Using information from their own experience and data from the St. Paul-based Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, the group began looking for a building to be used for transitional housing. According to Wilder's report on the St. Croix Valley - including the Minnesota counties of Chisago and Washington and the Wisconsin counties of Polk, Pierce and St. Croix - more than half of those considered low-income ($25,00 or less) and middle-income ($25,000 to $50,000) pay 35 percent or more of their income for housing.

"Someone with three kids can't afford to pay $800 for housing," Macomber said.

The shelter, which is being modeled after Faith House, would provide housing, three meals daily and services tailored to the needs of single mothers and families, but not single men. There will be a 30 to 60 day limit, and those staying must agree not to use drugs or alcohol.

"We will teach them what they need to know to become self-sufficient. Things such as job skills, nutrition skills and developing a budget," Macomber said.

She said officials are looking at adding a men's shelter, possibly in River Falls, in the near future. There are several other shelters in western Wisconsin, including Beacon House in Eau Claire and House of Hope in Menomonie.

Often proposals to open shelters are met, at least initially, with opposition. Such was not the case in Somerset, said the Rev. Jim Brinkman.

"I have never heard any negativity," he said. "We were looking for a use for this building and people are really excited that we have found a purpose."

Built in the 1920's, the convent has been vacant since September, when the last nun moved out. The eight-room shelter, which is expected to open in June, will have room for 12 - 15 people, primarily from Pierce and St. Croix counties.

The building will be leased by the church to the United Way, and the annual budget of about $100,000 will be raised by assorted grants, donations, several agencies and churches, said John M. Coughlin, executive director of the United Way of St. Croix County.

The shelter will be staffed 24 hours a day by an administrator and volunteers from area churches, who will also do the cooking.

While the homeless problem is more evident in larger cities, advocates said area shelters are usually full and often have to turn people away.

Counting the homeless in rural areas is, at best, an inexact science, but estimates by the state's Division of Housing and Intergovernmental Relations said demand for shelter is up more than 10 percent from last year.

The agency tracks the number of people seeking shelter through the 48 statewide agencies it funds. Homeless advocates said the need, which was long overlooked, has grown in recent months because of the slumping economy and lack of affordable housing. Beacon House, which is run by the non-denominational Eau Claire Inter-Faith Hospitality Network, has been running at capacity since it opened last year. Beacon House has seven bedrooms and a capacity of 25.

"About 70 percent are employed, but many are at low-paying jobs with little or no benefits," said Nancy Johnson, Beacon House director. "They need gainful employment and affordable housing."

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