Nov 2, 2018 3 min read

In June 2015, the City Mission in Washington was devastated by a fire that originated in the shelter’s kitchen. Rebuilding would be a massive – and massively expensive – undertaking, but with an outpouring of help from the community and a Federal Home Loan Bank grant, the mission has not only risen from the ashes, but expanded its offerings to those in need in our area.

Most recently, the mission held a grand opening for its newly constructed Avis Arbor Women with Children Center on West Wheeling Street.

At the ceremony, Sally Mounts, chief development officer for the mission, said, “We feel so blessed that we were able to be a part of this effort to help homeless women and children in our community. God’s been really good to us. We are so thankful to the community for all the support we’ve received.”

And with that support from the community, the mission has built on its offerings in the three-plus years since the fire.

In June 2016, the mission held a ribbon-cutting for the rebuilt dormitories for male residents, as well as a new kitchen and dining facilities. And those facilities were much-needed, because every year, the mission assists upward of 600 men, women and children with shelter and rehabilitation programs. Every day, more than 300 meals are served to the needy.

In December 2016, Dean Gartland, president and CEO of the nonprofit, spoke about where the mission stood and where it was headed a year and a half since the fire.

“I started to think about all the things that we here at the City Mission lacked in terms of our facilities, education space, group space, not having a real good place for a medical clinic. Our dining room was so small … we could seat maybe 40 people,” he said.

The mission added another layer to its services in February 2017 when it partnered with the county jail to initiate “Bridge the Gap,” a job-readiness program to help low-level offenders approved for work release find meaningful employment after incarceration.

Building upon that, in June 2017, there was another ribbon-cutting, this one for the ANSYS Career Training and Education Center in the lower level of the mission. The center serves residents of the shelter and others in Washington County who need help to find work.

“We take our job seriously in getting people back to independent living,” said Cathy Zuback, the mission’s vocational services director.

The mission took another major step this past July when it opened the Patriot House, a transitional living facility for homeless veterans that can accommodate as many as 22 people.

City Mission spokesman Gary Porter said the most successful programs for veterans are ones in which vets help one another.

“So, veterans living together, healing together, working together, all of that seems to be the most effective program,” Porter said.

The programs cited are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to everything the mission provides to our area, and it’s safe to say the cost would be eye-opening if local governments had to step in and provide these services.

The mission’s reach and the level of help it provides to this community are truly astounding, and we owe the organization a fairly considerable debt of gratitude.