THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 28, 1996 TAG: 9607260006
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J4 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: 38 lines
Samaritan House in Virginia Beach has aided hundreds of families whose lives were suddenly disrupted by domestic violence or homelessness. Samaritan House offers temporary shelter in real houses in real neighborhoods.
But its name is deceptive: Samaritan House is not just one place. It's actually 10 houses, eight rented from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for $1 a year each.
Last winter Samaritan House officials were informed that they were in danger of losing their HUD leases because of a move by the federal government to unload the properties.
A fund-raising drive was launched immediately to try to raise enough money to buy the houses outright. It was a daunting undertaking. The nonprofit group reckoned it needed to raise $500,000 by March 1997 to buy the properties.
On Monday, seven months shy of the deadline, Samaritan House Executive Director Ellen Ferber announced that the fund-raising effort had surpassed even the rosiest expectations: $732,500 has already been raised.
Ferber said 2,000 businesses and individuals have reached into their pockets to help their less-fortunate neighbors. The contributions ranged from $1 to one individual who stroked a check for $142,500. More money came from grants and foundations.
To the fund-raisers and the contributors, we say: Outstanding! Few causes are more worthy of our support than a nonprofit group like Samaritan House which provides a safe haven for battered women and a shelter for families that are homeless.
We will never know how many lives have been saved and repaired by the good work of Samaritan House; surely they are many. In return, the community has come to the aid of Samaritan House in a magnificent way.
KEYWORDS: HOMELESS SHELTER by CNB