...Romance Author...The Emmaus House of Saginaw presents “Homes of Hope”During a special program held at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 4840 Shattuck in Saginaw Township on Tuesday, January 25, the Emmaus House (EH) of Saginaw unveiled plans to renovate its 12 homes located throughout the City of Saginaw. These houses are home to 40 women, women coming from jail, prison and/or rehab programs. Sr. Marietta Fritz, EH director, provided an overview of the program, together with a presentation outlining the details of the “Homes of Hope” project. The goal of the Emmaus House is to create a more pleasant living environment for their women while they seek to reach the point where they are able to live on their own. Its purpose is to provide the women with a family-like, Christian atmosphere while they are creating new lives for themselves. Emmaus see a woman’s stay as temporary, lasting until they are able to be on their own. Emmaus also believes that each person has the potential to become what God wants them to be, regardless of what they have done. Many of the homes date to the early 1900’s or before. As you can imagine, many are in need of remodeling and updating. Remodeling these homes will not only add to their guests’ comfort, it will instill pride. Over the next 2 to 3 years EH plans to remodel and renovate their 12 homes, making them more energy efficient and comfortable for their guests. Their plan is to have the required work performed by qualified volunteers, contractors and suppliers. Emmaus hopes to generate enough funds to complete the planned work by the end of 2013. The following houses are in need of remodeling and updating: 2709 Julius St., a duplex with three bedrooms in each unit, needs some exterior work on the gutter system and some kitchen remodeling. 600 Gallagher St. has three bedrooms and a basement that could possibly be converted to living area. Needed repairs include bathroom remodeling and some exterior siding repairs. 3408 Grant St. was built in the late 1970s. It has three bedrooms. Needed repairs include possible conversion of garage to living area and some exterior siding repair. 2234 and 2236 S. Michigan Ave. is a duplex with four bedrooms. Needed repairs include general upgrading to both the interior and the exterior. 724 S. 14th St. was built in 1895. It is in need of a new roof, wall insulation and exterior and interior painting. 127 S. 5th St. is the oldest home, with three bedrooms. It was built in 1894. Needed repairs include window replacements, exterior siding repair and painting, some interior painting, and possibly a new drive. 733 S. 14th St. has seven bedrooms and is the main office of Emmaus House. It was built in 1916. It is in need of a boiler replacement, some window replacements and some minor roof repairs. 1815 Mack Rd. was built in the 1960s. It is home to three women. Needed repairs include siding repair or replacement, minor interior decorating and window replacements. 2019 Robinwood St. was built in 1920, with two bedrooms. Needed repairs include kitchen remodeling and possibly a fence around part of the yard. 732 S. 13th St. has been divided into five apartments. It was built in 1912. It is in need of a boiler replacement, a few window replacements and some interior painting and decorating. 3410 East Rd. was built in the early 1920s, with three bedrooms. Needed repairs include siding repair or replacement and a fence on the side yard. 3221 Bundy St. was built in 1920, with two bedrooms. Needed repairs include driveway repair and better access to crawl space from outside the house. The Emmaus House was started in 1987 by Sr. Marietta Fritz and Sr. Shirley Orand, its mission to provide a home for women, especially women coming from jail, prison or rehab. The name “Emmaus” is from the Bible, Luke 24:13-34. In the Bible, it designates the story of Jesus on the “road to Emmaus”, a city. It is their hope that the women, while here, will meet Jesus on their journey toward a better life. Emmaus’ annual budget of about $215K is funded entirely by donations and grants. Contributors include churches, businesses, trusts, foundations and individuals. To date, no government money is included in their budget. Emmaus operates 12 homes and a new Resource Center in Saginaw with up to 40 women in the program at any one time. Nearly 800 women have been served since its beginning with an average stay of 8 to 9 months. The longest stay has been 6 years. It is estimated that Emmaus needs between $50 and $ 75,000 to complete the “Homes of Hope” project. By assisting with publicity and volunteer coordination, offering your prayers and support, giving a donation, or simply telling your friends about this project will help create awareness and help their efforts. No amount is too small. Donations can be sent to The Emmaus House “Homes of Hope” Project, 733
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