Samaritan House News December 2007

“Box” Luncheon Rounds Up Hundreds
Rebuilding a Life, Redefining Family
A Year of Living Fully

“Box” Luncheon Rounds Up Hundreds

Luncheon guests get acquainted.

The 400-plus community supporters who came out to the Round Up Inn Wednesday, November 14th were prepared to hear a few speeches, but few expected to leave quite so inspired. The crowd gathered in support of Samaritan House, who hosted the second annual Out of the Box luncheon, the culmination of year-long development efforts to inform and engage the community in the mission of the organization.

The day after the luncheon, positive comments flowed in from community leaders. “I was so impressed with your Board Chair, the wonderful entertainment, the terrific video and, of course, your moving remarks. It was an outstanding job,” said Pam Chevreaux, Director of Development for Community Hospice of Texas. Former staff member and fundraising consultant Bob Blanchette praised the staff of Samaritan House for a job well done, noting that the turnout was outstanding for an event only in its second year and that the program was extremely effective.

Children's Choir led and accompanied by Melinda Allen of Unity Church.

The event got off to an outstanding start as a children’s choir, led and accompanied by Melinda Allen of Unity Church and comprised entirely of children living in The Villages at Samaritan House, sang "Do All You Can (Nkosi's Song)" by Robert Andersen. The ensemble was made up of five children – Cynthia, Keanna, Luis, Omar and Tiger – between the ages of six and twelve, adding emotional emphasis to the stories shared by residents.

After an inspiring address by Samaritan House CEO Steve Dutton, attendees viewed a touching video about several residents and their struggles to make better lives for themselves. Following the video, two residents shared their own stories in person. Thomas and Misti have both succeeded in making radical changes in their lives since coming to Samaritan House.

After battling a lifelong addiction to drugs, Misti will celebrate two years of sobriety at the beginning of 2008, and she was proud to share that she is well on her way to achieving a number of other goals she set for herself a year ago. Employed at a local salon, she is halfway through her classes in beauty school, and she is enjoying life in what she describes as her “beautiful apartment in Benbrook” under Samaritan House’s Genesis program.

Now that she is employed and back out on her own, Misti is pursuing her most important goal, seeking full custody of her daughter, who at present spends weekends with her.

Following the good news about Samaritan House and its successes, Board member Becky Walker painted a more sobering picture. With the growing community needs for affordable service-enriched housing, and the subsequent expansion Samaritan House has undergone to meet that demand, the organization faces a $500,000 annual operating challenge after state and federal funding is subtracted from the budget.

Luis hands out cookies to departing guests.

While many believe that Samaritan House is largely funded with public money, nearly half of the annual budget depends on donations from individuals, corporations, private foundations and fundraisers.

That’s when the community stepped up. "I was amazed at all the support from the community when checkbooks started opening across the auditorium at the end of the luncheon," says Marlin, a resident and volunteer at the event. Such gifts help provide the housing and supportive services that make his life at Samaritan House possible every day of the year.

“It’s so rewarding to see people back up their support of our residents not only with their presence, but also with their pocketbooks,” says Dutton. “This outpouring of generosity is what we’re all about at Samaritan House.”

Finally, outgoing Board of Directors Chair Walter Archey welcomed Ms. Walker as the new Chair-elect, who will take her new position in January. Her goals include continued growth to meet community needs, and improvement of the organization’s long-term sustainability.

“There are so many people to thank for the success of this event,” says Marcy Paul, coordinator of the Out of the Box luncheon. “From the dozens of table captains to all of the residents who volunteered and the TCU students who assisted with decorations, this truly was a community-wide effort.”

For more information about Out of the Box and how you can become involved, call (817) 332-6410 ext 195.

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Rebuilding a Life, Redefining Family

Thomas

“I often hear people say that the best part of our life is ahead of us,” says Thomas, a resident of Samaritan House. “Today, I’m able to recognize the truth in that statement.” Describing his own life’s journey as akin to a roller coaster ride, he recalls the many times when he was not filled with the same kind of hope and optimism for the future that he embraces today.

Born fifty-eight years ago in Dallas, Thomas seemed destined for a troubled life. By the early seventies, he was hooked on drugs, resigning himself to ritual IV drug use, and a subsequent life of drug dealing, consumption and prison.

It was in 1992 while incarcerated that Thomas tested positive for HIV. At the time, the prisoners around him, who according to him were "dying left and right," were his chilling examples of what life was like with HIV.

“I thought I was going to die real soon,” he says. “I didn’t take the meds, because I thought, what’s the use?” His two sisters and one brother came quickly to visit him on what they believed would be his death bed. However, life had other plans for Thomas.

Somehow, Thomas survived for fourteen more years with both a positive HIV diagnosis and a powerful drug habit, until finally entering a treatment program for his insatiable addiction in 2006. He credits Ms. Hightower, his case manager, with encouraging him to accept sobriety and self-care as a reasonable choice for his future.

He entered Samaritan House from treatment later in 2006, finding a community for which he had longed much of his life. “The staff showed me unconditional love,” he says, “and they also employed me.” His work on the maintenance staff at Samaritan House prompted him to apply these same skills to his own home-remodeling business.

Thomas’ success at Samaritan House served as a spark that spread into all parts of his life. He now serves as the treasurer for his downtown Narcotics Anonymous group, and he works part-time in the finance office of his church.

“I’m able to live and enjoy a new-found life filled with goals, accomplishments, and lots of hope,” he says. “I am truly grateful to Samaritan House…because most of my achievements are a result of all the assistance I’ve received while being there.”

Thomas found more than friendship during his time at Samaritan House. Early in 2007, he met and fell in love with another resident at the house. The relationship, however, was short-lived. “After a very brief courtship, from February until August,” he explains, “she crossed over to the other side.” Though the loss is still fresh on his heart and in his mind, the relationship he developed during that time with her three daughters reminds him of his enduring feelings for her.

“Of course it was painful losing their mother,” he says, “but the payoff is that I gained three loving and beautiful daughters.”

Thomas plans to continue growing his home repair business and to move into one of the apartments in The Villages at Samaritan House complex. There, he hopes to have enough space to share with the girls he has come to love, and to have a place he can finally call his own.

“I’m kept pretty busy,” he says, “but not too busy to forget the loving God that makes all of this possible.

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A Year of Living Fully

Manager Michele Erwin

The phrase “full house” has a different meaning these days around Samaritan House. A year after The Villages at Samaritan House apartments reached full “lease-up” capacity, property manager Michele Erwin and CEO Steve Dutton took a few minutes to reflect on past success and future challenges.

Though the 66 new apartments built on-site for homeless and low-income persons with special needs are clearly meeting a significant need today, the road to the dream now realized was not always easy.

An October article about The Villages, appearing on the website for buildings.com, encapsulated the many hurdles encountered during the design and construction process. “Money was the most prevalent challenge for this project,” notes the story. “In fact, the design began before the land was purchased, and funding was not secured until months after the design had begun. Once the design and budget were finalized, rising construction costs due to Hurricane Katrina caused numerous trips back to the drawing board to re-evaluate the design to stay within the limited budget.”

Even after the grand opening ceremonies, with kudos to those who made it happen, there were still a number of issues to consider. “We were concerned about advertising very publicly that our target was ‘families including persons living with HIV/AIDS’” says Dutton, “so as not to breach Federal confidentiality requirements for this group.”

Despite the potential stigma of such a community, Dutton says the demand for housing was much greater than expected. “Lease-up to full occupancy was faster than expected,” says Dutton. “We attribute this to good research and outreach methods.”

Property manager Michele Erwin sees day-to-day matters as some of the biggest tests. “Our toughest challenge has been with adherence to the substance abuse policies,” says Erwin, “but we have a qualified staff that offers assistance with chemical dependency, and the supportive services necessary to keep them on track.”

Always the visionary, Dutton already has his sights on meeting other community needs. “We stay full, and more housing is clearly needed,” says Dutton. “We are developing a concept now for new housing which is both high quality and affordable to a greater segment of our community.”

Check www.samaritanhouse.org and your monthly newsletter for updates as these exciting new housing concepts develop.

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