Our Community Members
Typical Day
“Enabling” Homelessness?

Our Community Members

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

During the Coronavirus pandemic, Peace House Community has adjusted its operations to continue providing services in the safest manner possible. We are now serving lunch from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. Additionally, the building will be open stay open until 2:30 pm as we welome our community members back inside for meditation, use of the library and everything else we have to offer. We will require masks in the building, so community members will still enjoy their food and drinks outside. We are installing canopies in the parking lot to make the weather bearable during the heat of the summer. Dinner will continue to be served outside from 5:00 to 6:00 by Loaves & Fishes.

Meals

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

‘Enabling’ Homelessness?

PHC is unusual in the homeless service world in that it does not have any programming aimed at ending homelessness itself. We encourage all efforts to end homelessness and fully support the work of other agencies that offer housing to community members, but we recognize that expanding into housing provision could jeopardize our current mission. PHC does not require community members to answer invasive questions about their mental health status, criminal history, income or other information required for housing background checks. Instead, it offers a place of sanity and calm where community members decide for themselves what they want to share about their lives. Homelessness is never easy and has been recognized as a contributing factor to substance abuse addiction and mental illness. PHC addresses this by supporting community members’ mental, emotional and social health.

Photo Album

Scroll through our photo album.