How one church became hospitable to their homeless neighbors

HIS House (Homeless Intervention Shelter) was founded by members of Placentia Presbyterian Church in 1989.  To the north of the Presbyterian Church stood an old two story farm house that was built about 1910.  It had three bedrooms and one bath and tenants passed back and forth over the years.  As orange groves gave way to housing in Placentia it was used as a sorority house for California State College Fullerton students. Then it came into the ownership of the Knights of Columbus, who built an adjacent hall onto the house.  However, in 1988 the Knights found the maintenance of the building a burden they could not sustain, so they put the property up for sale.

Alerted to the availability of the house, several members of the Session, the elected administrative body of the Placentia church, believed it an opportunity to buy the property and thereby provide an area of possible expansion for the church.  A further consideration was to prevent the land from falling into the hands of owners who might develop it for housing that would have been incompatible with keeping the area close to the church in harmony with its buildings.

Some resistance on the part of Session members to the purchase of the property surfaced. Members expressed doubts that the church, which had just finished a building program that caused it to assume a debt of $900,000, should not put itself into still greater indebtedness. Nevertheless, a majority in the Session supported the purchase of the property and in March 1989, at a cost of $360,000 the transfer was finalized.  The Session authorized the borrowing of a temporary loan from the Presbyterian Synod. It was still undecided how to use the house and upon inspection, it was found to be in need of serious repair. Plumbing was especially in poor condition with a large sunken tub that could not be drained.
For several months the house at 907 North Bradford remained empty while interest payments came due on a regular basis. In fact, financing became such a critical issue that in February 1990 the property was listed for sale.

In the meantime at another meeting of the Session, one of its members, Denise Eastin, active in the Featherly Park ministry, urged that the house be opened for the Drapers, a family living at the park.  The wife was soon to give birth and the baby would have to return to a tent in the park with winter approaching. The Session agreed to Ms. Eastin’s request and allowed the Drapers to move into the house. Volunteers commenced the arduous task of cleaning and making repairs so that the structure would be fit for habitation. Once Christopher Andrew Draper was born, the family continued to stay there until they found a place to live.

Development of HIS House

As it is today, in 1990 there was no lack of needy people seeking shelter. Orange County had only 500 beds (today they have 3500 beds) for homeless individuals. The Bulmaro Herrera family, comprised of fourteen members, was threatened with eviction onto the street in September when Placentia city housing inspectors declared their rental house unsafe and unsanitary. The family was ordered to leave but they had nowhere to go and not enough money to pay for an apartment. Happily, Orange County Housing officials knew that the Presbyterians had offered shelter to others in their Bradford Ave house, and the Herreras were invited to move in.  The Herrera’s became residents and the once empty house filled with the cries and laughter of the eight Herrera children.  During 1990 a total of seventeen adults and twenty five children were sheltered at HIS House, the name given to the facility.

It was now evident that a purpose had been established for HIS House, but for Session members the future still looked bleak. The church found the interest on the loan and utility bills worrisome. The HIS House committee, twelve in number and chaired by Denise Eastin, oversaw the activities at the facility, but it was difficult for them to be on call whenever something was needed at the house. The committee members would handle emergency calls. No one had experience running a shelter, yet the committee felt their ministry had to continue. To quote the late Elaine Van Deventer “Prayer was used to finance the house.”

The real estate was still listed for sale in July 1991 when a stroke of good fortune came in answer to those prayers.  The HIS House committee discovered that the California Emergency Shelter Program offered grants to run a shelter for the homeless provided that there would be a commitment to offer services for a number of years. An application to the state was successful, so the property could be removed from the market, as the grant paid a substantial portion of the church obligation to the Synod.

With the state grant in hand, the committee could now look for additional community support. They learned of an organization called Home Aid. This was a consortium of about 900 building contractors and suppliers who donated their services to assist various non-profit organizations that needed assistance. The director of Home Aid found HIS House was exactly the kind of project that met their goals.

After the renovation the shelter could house 25 individuals, couples and families.  In 1996 another grant was applied for and received to expand again.  This time 15 more beds and two additional restrooms. The capacity is now 40 beds.

In 2002, the City of Placentia purchased a home two doors north of HIS House with Redevelopment funds.  They were looking to invite a low-income family to inhabit the property. However, HIS House found out about the property and offered to pay the yearly taxes and invite graduates of the HIS House program to spend an additional “Second Step” while paying a program fee.

What HIS House offers its participants:
We offer a safe and homelike atmosphere where residents can have their own guest room, share baths and kitchens with others while looking for employment and participating in our classes. We offer no-cost housing for 4-6 months. Each week residents participate in life skill classes and an additional class of either parenting, budgeting, a mentor meeting and career development.

Each participant meets weekly with a case manager where they prioritize expenses and save money for permanent housing. Each resident receive a new pillow, toiletry basket (from the Placentia Roundtable women’s club) gas and transportation vouchers, individual counseling and two months of subsidized childcare.  Children receive a quilt from the North Cities Quilt Guild and a welcome basket from the Placentia Roundtable. Each month birthdays are celebrated with cake and ice cream (sponsored by the Placentia Roundtable) and gifts for adults and children are given.

HIS House continues to exist with the assistance of government grants, private donations and fundraisers. The generosity of our community and volunteers help make HIS House a successful program.

This year we are initiating a strategic plan process for organizational reorganization as a solo 501(c)(3), as well as a funding plan in order to deepen, strengthen, and expand our services. We would appreciate your prayerful investment.

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