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Home provides a safe haven for homeless womenEvicted from her Lynn Haven vices at the Callaway Assemblyresidence and battling a decade-1 of God during their first 30 dayslong addiction to painkillers and at Bethel Village. Once the 30alcohol, Angela Anderson came days are up, Ball said residentsto the Panama City Rescue Mis- still must go to services everysion with her two sons in June. Sunday but may attend theIt was Anderson’s first time church of their choice.being homeless. After reading a The mission purchased prop-poster at the mission’s shelter erty for the Bethel Village facil-about its new Bethel Village ity in March. Ball said the mis-facility for women and families, sion’s emergency shelter onshe filled out an application and Allen Street had recently expe-was accepted into the home rienced an increase in the num-when it opened its doors July ber of homeless women and12. families, necessitating the“It’s been great. It’s been easy Bethel Village facility,to focus on myself and my Currently, four adults and recovery,” Anderson said of her three children stay at Bethel Vil-stay so far. lage. Ball said the facility couldThe Rescue Mission will have house a maximum of 20 resi-a grand opening and reception dents at some point, dependingfor Bethel Village at 6 p.m. on donations received by theThursday. mission.Bethel Village director Betty Gretchen Stephenson is theBall said people who have information and referral direc-donated time and resources to tor for the Unitedly of North-the home, as well as members of west Florida and a volunteer the mission’s board of directors, with the Homeless and Hunger will tour the facility, located in Coalition of Northwest Florida. Springfield off TVansmitter She said there is a facility for Road. chemical addiction and recoveryWhile staying at Bethel Vil- on East Avenue, but no other lage, Anderson said she has facility within the county with taken parenting classes and Bethel Village’s emphasis on worked with a caseworker on a women and children, plan to find employment and an Stephenson said homelessapartment in the coming shelters used to deal mainly with months. Anderson’s sons have transient men. She said a lot of been sent to live with their people get “dumped and aban-father while she goes through doned” in Panama City, and Bethel Village’s program, and added a lot of women come to she is allowed supervised visits the area with a boyfriend or with them while recovering fiance who’s got a job. Shortly from her addictions. after arrival, the same womenBall and Anderson stressed find themselves homeless andBethel Village is not exclusively without money, and thefor women with drug or alcohol boyfriend or fiance has left problems. Its program includes town.counseling for money manage- “It’s not too unusual to getment and everyday problem- that kind of call here,” Stephen-solving. son said.“Whatever their nepds are, The average age of a home-this is what we try to do for less person in Bay County is 9,them,” Ball said. Stephenson noted, with mostBethel Village has three bed- homeless children of preschool rooms set aside for single age. With an estimated 1,200 women and their children, while people homeless every day in a separate dorm room can Bay County, Stephenson said a house up to seven single 2003 survey of Bay District women. Adult residents go Schools found more than 500 through what Ball described as a homeless school children in the12-steo. Christian-centered oro- countvBy Daniel CarsonNews Herald Writer747-5071 / dcarson0pcnh.comgram, with Bible study once a week.Everyone at the facility is required to attend church ser-
Newspaper Details
Panama City News Herald
Panama City, Florida, US
Tue, Aug 10, 2004
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Chastity W.
AL, USA 22 Mar 2022
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