Bethlehem Inn helps combat homelessness

Bethlehem Inn, a homelessness shelter for women and children located in Waseca, has been in operation since 2019, after Father Lief of Sacred Heart Church and two community members had a conversation about how the parish’s convent building could be repurposed. Located across the street from the church at 400 Second Avenue northwest, the structure had provided a home for nuns who had served the church in various ways for decades. By 2018, only one individual still lived there.

In its five years in operation, according to program director Sue McIntosh, the shelter has served 423 women and children; to apply for a stay, individuals must be at least 18. The oldest resident Bethlehem Inn has housed was 78 years old at the time.

 “Our maximum capacity is 16 people,” observes McIntosh. “And we’re always at capacity.” She speculates if the shelter could house more people, it would still always be full. She is in persistent conversation with facilities similar to Bethlehem Inn—she names Ruth’s House in Faribault, Rachel’s Light in Meriden, and the Partnership for Affordable Housing with facilities in Mankato and St. Peter.

“When we get a referral, it’s very hard to find an opening,” she comments.

Since November is the “awareness” month for both hunger and homelessness, McIntosh says she has made it her goal to broaden people’s understanding of the issue. It’s a goal she works on regularly, however, since she is frequently a speaker at the meetings of public service organizations and other groups.

The state of Minnesota issued a report in October of 2023 which concluded the state has 10,000 homeless inhabitants.

In the Waseca County area, “Homelessness is far more common than most people realize,” she states definitively. “We may not see people pushing shopping carts filled with their worldly possessions,” she observes, “but we have many, many people who are sleeping in their vehicles, staying overnight in parks, or sometimes sleeping in tents.” Other refuges taken by those with no permanent home are “couch hopping,” which is to spend nights at the homes of many different friends or family members in sequence, or “doubling up,” that is, moving in with someone who has some extra space.

McIntosh says some may assume it is carelessness or poor life choices which lead to a person becoming homeless, but the story is always greatly nuanced. Some have decided they have no choice but to leave a toxic relationship. There may be problems with addiction or mental health.

Mentioning how difficult it is to find affordable housing, she tells of individuals who became unable to pay their rent or their bills because of an emergency, for example having to choose between paying the bills or having their car repaired. Landlords are often unwilling to rent spaces to people who have a poor credit history or who have been evicted from a previous living situation.

“Every situation is different,” she says, mentioning one family left homeless after a house fire.

And once someone has reached the level of homelessness, McIntosh suggests, finding the way back out again becomes increasingly complicated.

She says she would like to see people begin wondering not, “what’s wrong” with people who become homeless, but instead, “what happened to them.”

By giving applicants and their children a place to stay, McIntosh says, Bethlehem Inn helps them build a foundation for the return to a more stable lifestyle.

Once a placement becomes possible for a woman or family, McIntosh describes, a typical stay is 90 to 120 days. No rent is charged. Families move into a setting much like a dormitory: they have their own sleeping quarters. Restroom facilities, all with more than one stall and shower, are shared.

Residents are responsible for acquiring and cooking their own food. A large community kitchen on the lowest floor has refrigerators and dry storage space; there is also a community dining area. Among the rooms and facilities are some large, open rooms where children can play and adults can gather for conversation or to watch television or play games. A workroom provides two computers for job searches, completing applications or other tasks.

Residents are given financial counseling, and offered support and assistance making other lifestyle changes which will help them acquire and keep their own housing. All members of the Bethlehem Inn staff help provide these supports. The facility has three family advocates who meet with them weekly to review their progress toward a set of goals which is established when people take up residency. They are also guided in seeking support services through government agencies.

Staff members at the facility are McIntosh, shelter manager Angie Alvarez, and family advocates Stacy Wasinger, Toni Larson and Marnee White.

Bethlehem Inn is funded through grants, donations and “community support, which is strong and gratifying.” It is led by a board of directors who McIntosh says are “active and involved” to a heartwarming degree.

“They say it takes a village,” says McIntosh. “We certainly have one.”