After fellowship time commenced, we got to hear from the Hospitality House! They are raising the roof for homelessness! Their mission- To provide shelter and resources for men facing homelessness.
They have helped 1,500 men facing homelessness since 2008 in Rice and Steele County. They are open to helping men from surrounding towns. Last year they were able to raise $153,000 (most donations from the Owatonna area).
The house currently houses 14 men. In Minnesota, there are about 8,000 homeless per night- 500 which are in Steele County. The house was built in 1896. The Hospitality House is the only homeless shelter for men in 50 miles. The home requires men to be sober and they must have an occupation. Working on their mental health is also a requirement to be a resident at the house. They work to address the root causes of homelessness. Some of these include- divorce, illness, domestic violence, mental health, no support, housing costs, lack of healthcare and mental health issues.
The average cost of an apartment in Owatonna is $1,110. Men can face many barriers when it comes to qualifying for an apartment: bad or no credit, no rental history, no income, no car and illness. Misconceptions about Hospitality House include taking only criminals. The truth is, the house serves men from a variety of ages and backgrounds. The goal is to help guide and support men towards permanent housing.
Hospitality House offers the following services to men staying with them-
-food and shelter
-compassion
-beds
-hot showers
-medical assistance
-a case manager
-mental health support
-substance abuse support
-rides to appointments
-job search
-help getting their GED is needed
-apply for SSI or disability
-finding housing
-working with community partners
-help getting furniture and necessities
-1st month’s rent and deposit
After the presentation for HHO we were able to hear from Larry. He shared his story of how HHO helped him and how he made such good friends at the house. He was paying $1000 for dialysis. The average stay for a man staying at the house is typically 53 days. However, due to doctor visits being to delayed the men are staying about 90 days.
