Arthur Foulkes
The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE —
Joy at the opportunity to help people in need – that’s what Muriel Ryan, Theressa Bynum and other organizers and supporters of Deborah’s House showed Monday afternoon.
Ryan, Bynum and others welcomed the news media and other members of the community to the grand reopening of Deborah’s House, a local transitional residence for homeless single mothers and their children.
Families “know that they are here with a support system,” Ryan said.
Deborah’s House, which had been closed for a year for renovations, is a transitional housing facility operated by Families by Choice, a Terre Haute, faith-based not-for-profit organization. FBC also operates Timothy’s House, a transitional home for young men leaving foster care.
Deborah’s House provides a safe learning environment for young mothers and their children, Ryan said. The home’s mission is the development of successful, independent families, according to the Families by Choice website.
“I’m overjoyed that we are finally able to make this happen,” Bynum, president of the FBC board, said at the grand reopening of Deborah’s House. “We are just happy to be back and ready to move forward.”
Families by Choice works to provide a secure learning environment for families working to get on their feet, Ryan, founder and executive director of Families by Choice, said Monday. Many charities attempt to help people during a crisis period. Families by Choice looks to support families in the months following a crisis, she said.
Families by Choice also seeks to provide a stable home for children while they attend school, Ryan added. Deborah’s House is only a block from a Vigo County elementary school.
To help in its mission, Deborah’s House recently received a grant from the Clara Fairbanks Foundation for new flooring thoughout the two-story home. It also recently received a $7,800 grant from the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, a division of the Indiana state government. That grant will help pay for one year of utility bills at Deborah’s House, Ryan said.
“The need is out there” for the services provided by Deborah’s House and Families by Choice, Ryan said.
While she and other FBC supporters celebrated the reopening of Deborah’s House on Monday, they looked forward to meeting their next goal – another transitional home to be named for Mother Bettie Davis, a longtime civic leader in Terre Haute. “I’m ready to do the next house,” Ryan said.
Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.
