Typical Day
Recent Stories

Our Community

PHC’s community members come from a variety of backgrounds and all contribute to PHC’s life through their gifts and talents. The artwork displayed at PHC has all been produced by community members. Members support each other by sharing information about local services, and contribute to the maintenance of PHC’s facilities through lawn care, clearing snow, painting and general maintenance. Many community members currently do not have stable housing but are working with social service agencies to secure housing. Others have their own place but use PHC to maintain connections to their friends.

“I fit in here.”

Pat

“Peace House Community means companionship, like a best friends. One big best friend. I know we’re not all from the same walk of life, but I feel like we’re one. I feel at peace here. And that makes me happy.”

Samson

“There is so much individuality. You can be yourself!”

Joe

“I don’t think of myself as poverty-stricken. I think of myself as being rich in experience.”

Richard
Community Member Spotlights

Typical Day

PHC provides nutritious meals through the generous donations from local stores and commercial kitchens. We supplement these donations by purchasing and preparing the missing elements of a balanced diet.

  • Monday – Friday: 9:30 am to 2:30 pm
  • Group Discussion/“Meditation”: 10:45 am to 11:30 am
    • Group Discussion/“Meditation” – Each day PHC staff, volunteers and community members join in a group discussion around a specific topic. Occasionally we invite outside guests to lead the discussion. The discussion allows us to get to know each other and express our beliefs and experiences in a safe environment. In honor of our founder who named this time, we continue to call it “Meditation,” recognizing that we each gain insight into ourselves and our lives, just as we do through more traditional forms of meditation.
  • Doors are closed when the group discussion/meditation begins and reopen at 11:30 p.m. to serve lunch to the community.
  • Lunch: 11:30 am to 1:00 pm
  • The building will close at 2:30 pm
  • Dinner served by Loaves & Fishes: 5:00 to 6:00 pm

“It makes me feel peaceful. Meditation relaxes my mind. It’s a good place to come.”

Sally Sue

“I like to listen to the wisdom of the people who come here – wisdom from struggle, pain, insecurity, sickness, homelessness.”

Rose

Recent Stories

  • Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood

    Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood

    Bennie Benjamin, Horace Ott, and Sol Marcus wrote “Don’t let me Be Misunderstood” in the 1960s, a song with lyrics that are intimate, timeless, and universal all at once. Sung from the point of view of a flawed human, the song expressed the singer’s desire to be good while also asking: Baby, you understand me now?If…

  • Smiling Helps

    Smiling Helps

    Smiling helps. That’s it. I have nothing more profound than that. I have been reminded lately how important it is to give and receive smiles, so I thought I would remind everyone else. We have one community member at Peace House Community who I mentally associate with smiling. He and I rarely speak to each…

  • I’ll Bet Trump is a Bad Cook

    I’ll Bet Trump is a Bad Cook

    One of the worst pieces of advice I ever followed was that I should throw a piece of spaghetti at a wall to test whether it was done. Looking back, I realized the person who told me this was either playing a practical joke or was the victim of someone else’s joke. All that throwing…