It poured rain on the morning that the downtown churches gathered in the parking lot of 1901 Augustine Ave. to bless the newly renovated 1950s-style hotel, now called Hesed House.
Songs were sung. Prayers were spoken. Room decorations were admired. And blessings were inscribed in chalk on each of the 14-doors that would soon provide temporary accommodations to neighbors transitioning from the street to permanent housing.
By the time the morning celebration concluded, the sun beamed on the crowd; and in the days and months to come, hope filled the rooms in the form of unhoused neighbors whose stormy nights of homelessness were finally over.
In one year’s time, 37 people have passed through Hesed House (formerly the Thomas Jefferson Motel). Each had some form of disabling condition, including mental health, chronic illness or intellectual disability. At least 11 had three or more conditions at entry; and 43% lived for a year or more on the street. Regardless of their challenges, 78% of exits this year have been to stable housing.
Affectionately named Hesed House, the building formerly known as the Thomas Jefferson Motel, has lived up to its namesake. Hesed is the Hebrew word for God’s unconditional always pursuing, never give up on you kind of love. The opportunity to move people immediately from the street to stable accommodations, while they work toward housing, has proven to provide a much better transition for those who have been homeless so long that they have forgotten what stability looks like.
Some favorite stories from the year include the woman with paranoid schizophrenia who overcame resistance to treatment and housing after a counselor on Micah’s team spent time visiting her room at Hesed. The hotel environment, where each person has their own room, gave another woman with critical health issues the comfort she needed to come indoors after many years of refusing shelter. A young man with severe childhood trauma, gained enough confidence in the care of Hesed staff that he started working at the food bank and exploring long ignored mental health challenges.
Prior to the opening of Hesed House, Micah frequently moved people directly from their campsite into permanent housing. While this approach works to the gratitude of those who are homeless, the difficulty finding units in today’s market prolonged the time people spent on the street and the abrupt change in circumstances was unsettling for those who have spent years living outdoors. With a small room, often decorated with the basic comforts of home, Hesed House gives unhoused neighbors the opportunity to step back into normalcy and get the support they need before moving into their own unit in the community.
Wrap-around support is available to people staying at Hesed House through Micah’s various ministries, which address basic needs, housing, income development, health care and spiritual support. The motel is operated by a full-time care coordinator and a resident manager lives on site to monitor after hours activity.
Guests stay approximately 30-90 days with a goal of transitioning to some version of stability, whether it is housing, long-term care, reunification with family and friends, etc. When each person leaves, they can take the decorations and household items with them to make their permanent house feel a little more like home. Church groups from the community then come to clean and re-stage the rooms for the next person.
It costs about $15,000 per month to keep the love flowing at Hesed House. Help us celebrate Hesed’s one year anniversary by sponsoring one person for one day ($36) or one month ($1071). To learn more about Hesed House, or get your church involved in the adopt-a-room process please email [email protected].
Jeremiah Community Update
Micah and partners, Support Works Housing (formerly Virginia Supportive Housing) and Mary Washington Healthcare, head back to council chambers October 23 at 6:30 pm for a planning commission VOTE on our Jeremiah Community proposal. The Fredericksburg planning commission must make a recommendation to City Council before the site at 0 Wicklow Dr. can be re-zoned to Planned Development-Residential, the classification needed for the envisioned supportive neighborhood to be built.
While we are not asking for additional speakers at the upcoming meeting, it would mean the world to us for the community to show up once more, wearing your favorite Micah T-shirt, to stand and show the planning commission how much our community remains on this journey to build a home for our neighbors.
After the planning commission votes, the project will go to city council in November. Once approved, we have several months of site planning, fundraising and site preparation ahead of us. Help is keep the project moving by pledging your support today!
All Saints’ Day: Tuesday October 29
We hope you’ve marked your calendars for Tuesday, October 29, to join us in our All Saints Day neighborhood remembrance service. This is the night when we gather together to remember members of our Micah community who passed away over this year.
Camp vigil begins at 5 PM, and the service begins at 5:45 PM. We will gather on the Methodist Green (across from City Hall) in honor of our friends and the stories that they shared with us this year.
Click here for the flyer with more details.
