| Advance Special:
Susanna Wesley House prepares for new ministry BY YVONNE MEDLEY UMCONNECTION CORRESPONDENT The Susanna Wesley House in Baltimore is expected to re-open this spring with a ministry that once again provides housing to women and unites them with their children. To make this long hoped-for resurrection a reality, the Baltimore-Washington Conference United Methodist Women are teaming up with a prominent Baltimore nonprofit agency. We have a contract signed with the Womens Housing Coalition, said Irene Callbeck, spokeswoman for the Susanna Wesley House. It has been very successful in running a house to help women in need. This new partnership will enable the coalition to expand its services to children. We were, at one time, one of the only shelters in Baltimore that held a family together, with women and their children, said Sabrina White, president of the Susanna Wesley House board of directors. I think that was one of the reasons the Womens Housing Coalition wanted to be a part of the Susanna Wesley House, because they would have the opportunity to bring mothers together with their children, said Callbeck. According to Womens Housing Coalition officials, the need for housing that accepts both women and their children is staggering. The Susanna Wesley House is one of the Baltimore-Washington Conferences Advance Specials for 2002-2004. The facility on Park Avenue is currently closed for renovations and lead abatement. This renovation was made possible by funds from the Womens Division of the Board of Global Ministries, local United Methodist Women units and Baltimore City. However, a steady flow of funds is still needed. Its a true mission to help women get housing and get themselves back on their feet, said Kathryn Barrans, president of the Susanna Wesley House Auxiliary, which hosts several fund-raisers throughout the year. There are many women who need safe housing and health services, job services, life skills, child-rearing skills; and this is what will be offered at the Susanna Wesley House, said Joyce McCallister, board secretary. When it reopens, residents, along with their children, will live in mini-apartments with shared kitchenettes. The Womens Housing Coalition will provide the day-to-day operations, sharing its 24-year-expertise and its executive director, a big savings for the United Methodist Women. But we are still the landlords and must provide. If (the house) needs a new roof, then we have to get busy and put on a new roof, said Callbeck. The United Methodist Women will also provide an after-school program, White said. The Susannas Kids Program will offer tutoring, educational field trips and snacks. The 83-year-old Susanna Wesley House, which was built to house single working girls in Baltimore, has a history of success stories. Callbeck remembers a mother of two young boys who lost her job due to downsizing. The woman was forced to live apart from her children when she had to move into a shelter. Then she heard about the Susanna Wesley House, which not only reunited them but also enabled the woman to enter a nursing program, from which she graduated. The boys, who were traumatized by their ordeal, became involved in the Susanna Wesley Kids Program. The boys were pretty close to failing, said Callbeck, and by the end of the year, they ended up being on the honor roll and promoted to the next grade. There are so many beautiful stories that come from these kinds of opportunities and thats the sort of thing that I look forward to when we reopen, Callbeck said. | 
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