BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — Two churches in Battle Creek held a ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday afternoon for an aftercare home designed to help those who have experienced homelessness.
The Hope House is the result of a collaboration between Victory Life Church and Hood Church, according to the former.
We’re told the effort was first envisioned four years ago by Battle Creek Police Chief Jim Blocker.
"I was simply pointing out where the violence was, where the pastors were, that we're working within these cultures of violence and we're trying to stop it," says Chief Blocker. "But Victory Life stepped up in a big way. And that was the creation of Hope House."
Victory Life Church says the Hope House will be home to five graduates of Haven of Rest’s Men’s Life Recovery Program, which helps men who are experiencing homelessness conquer addiction and transform them into contributing members of society.
The Hope House will assist residents in job searches, teach them how to budget, and educate them on skills that will keep them off the streets, the church tells FOX 17.
"The Hope House was birthed out of a need for people who are struggling with addiction and may need a faith-based option," says Pastor Raul Maysonet with Hood Church. "This is a workhouse. So that means the people that come here, they pay rent. So this is their home, you know. The way that the house works is it's ran by the men who live in the home. So it's ran democratically. That means that for a person to either come into the house, they're being interviewed not by me but by the men that live there."
Pastor Maysonet adds there is also a life recovery program for women.
Once each member has gained independence and is ready to assume full control over their life, another man from the Life Recovery Program will be chosen for membership at the Hope House, Victory Life Church explains.
