Parish opens doors, literally, to the homeless

By PAUL QUIRINI- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

A place of mercy in Schenectady opened its doors this week at a new location: in the former school hall at St. John the Baptist parish.

Bethesda House, a daytime hospitality center coordinated through Schenectady Inner City Ministry (SICM), welcomed guests to its new site located just a few blocks from its previous address at the Rehoboth Ministries Church.

The facility provides shelter for a variety of guests, including the homeless, economically displaced, victims of domestic violence, and young, single parents.

On the move

Opened in March 1992, Bethesda House -- "Bethesda" is a biblical word meaning "place of mercy" -- provides activities, fellowship and program opportunities that promote self-respect and personal growth among guests.

Although the facility has been located in Rehoboth Ministries Church (formerly Friedens United Church of Christ), one of the original sites under consideration in 1992 was the former St. John the Baptist School, now the new home of Bethesda House.

Volunteers and guests have spent the past week or so moving furniture, appliances and equipment to the new location, according to Margaret Anderton, Bethesda House director. Bishop Howard J. Hubbard signed a three-year lease with Bethesda House last month for its new facility.

Full facility

The first floor of Bethesda House will serve as a hospitality center, complete with kitchen facilities, laundry room and showers. A sewing room, learning center and classrooms, and a general program room will be housed on the second floor. There's also hope that locked storage space will be available for guests who have no place to store their belongings from day to day.

Bethesda House has received approximately $2,000 in donations toward its new facility; about $3,500 to $5,000 more is needed for plumbing.

Between 125 and 130 guests stay at Bethesda House daily, Ms. Anderton said, with as many as 150 guests on some days. Among the programs offered at Bethesda House are parenting classes, a life skills class, job club, arts and crafts classes, and a nutrition and cooking class.

About 40 adult volunteers work at the facility, with 12 college-age students also volunteering their time. Interns from Schenectady County Community College also work during the fall and spring, and students from Scotia-Glenville High School work as interns during the summer.

Win-win situation

Rev. John Rosson, pastor of St. John's, believes the move will benefit inner-city residents.

"I think it's a win-win for the church and for SICM," he said. "We should try to put these resources at the disposal of the community."

Moving to larger quarters will enable guests at Bethesda House to take advantage of the expanded services that the facility has to offer, Ms. Anderton pointed out.

"It is important for us to have the space necessary for providing services, referrals, programs and other forms of support and assistance to help our increasing number of guests move towards self-sufficiency to the extent that they are able," she said.

(Bethesda House is open Monday through Friday, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and from 1 to 5 p.m. Call 374-2683.)

(06-25-98) [[In-content Ad]]