A Safe Haven Part 2: Something To Be Thankful For

By: Stephanie Benney

Monday, as I was driving home from a wonderful birthday dinner friends of mine had made for me, I hit a deer.  I watched the whole thing unravel in slow motion and Mr. Deer and I connected eye to eye as “Pickle” caused him to take flight above my car.

Now, anyone who knows me, knows how much I love my car.  I made it to a well lit parking lot to assess the damage; I was sick.  I discovered that my hood buckled down and cracked and the passenger side received some dents and scratches.  However, Pickle was still drivable and both of my lights were somehow unscathed.

For the rest of the night, I was angry and feeling sorry for myself, asking “Why can’t I get a break?”  The following day, I would understand just how much that deer impacted my life, like I did his.

Two weeks ago, I wrote a piece on the homeless and Bethlehem Haven.  Yesterday, as I walked through the doors of Bethlehem Haven to meet Lois Mufuka Martin(Executive Director) to take my tour of the facility, it became real; the homeless women Bethlehem Haven helps were no longer a group of imaginary women in my mind or on paper, they were now right in front of my face.

There is an intricately sewn quilt hanging on the wall in the lobby of Bethlehem Haven.  What was the significance? I was told that quilt-makers from the Pittsburgh area donated quilt squares and finished quilts to Bethlehem Haven’s annual fundraising event.  Each attending guest was asked to write an inspirational quote or saying on the quilt square at their event table.  There were 120 quilts from this event and each woman who walks out of the doors of Bethlehem Haven a former homeless women is given a quilt to start her new journey.  It signifies putting the pieces of a woman’s life together and is a reminder of where she has been and where she is going.  It’s something we should all remember to be thankful for – the opportunity for the journey.

Bethlehem Haven has 4 housing programs in 3 buildings and 96 residents every night.  Emergency Shelter provides temporary shelter for homeless women for up to 60 days, but the 60 days is waived during the beginning and the end of the coldest snowfall.  Transitional housing is a 2 year program that helps women who suffer from drug and alcohol abuse and mental illness.  SOAR(Safe Oasis and Residence) is a permanent housing program for women with severe mental illness.   Aftercare supports formerly homeless women for 6 months upon lease signing in order to prevent reoccurring homelessness.

As Lois lead me on my guided tour, I was fortunate to meet many of the employees of Bethlehem Haven.  I noticed how happy they were and how much passion they had for their jobs and for serving their clients; they really care about these women.

Pauline has been an employee of Bethlehem Haven for 8 years and was nice enough to talk to me about her experiences.  She feels that over the years, she has seen it become less of a revolving door and more structured.  There is a “Goals & Rules” board for the women to see their improvements over the course of their time there.

Walking through the buildings and seeing the faces of the resident women made me wonder about each one of their stories; it made me seriously think about my own.  I am blessed to have the artist loft I had always wanted, money to pay my utilities, a job to go to everyday, a car to drive and new chairs to sit in.  Most importantly, I have the love of a wonderful family and friends who make the journey worth the walk – and I am thankful for it all.

Stephanie Benney is a “Sustainable Visionary” and also the new Pittsburgh Representative for Fuzed Marketing, where she helps companies increase their brand presence. stephaniebenney@yahoo.com