A Ray of Hope still shines

Kalispell shelter a safety net for the homeless

Bill and Aimee Tebby, a young couple from Libby with two young daughters, gave thanks to A Ray of Hope for putting a roof over their heads for Thanksgiving.

After a bout with pneumonia, Bill lost his job. With no success at job hunting in Libby and less than $300 left, he decided to take his family to Kalispell.

He found work stocking shelves at Kmart, but faced the impossible task of finding housing in a tight market without money for a rental deposit.

"There was nothing available," Bill said.

After exhausting the time limits at other shelters, the couple found A Ray of Hope on Fifth Avenue West.

Peggy Christensen, who started the shelter with her husband Bob, has no sleeping quarters for children. But she found temporary shelter for the family by calling a reliable resource, the owners of the Vacationer Motel.

"They're wonderful people," Christensen said.

Then she got busy on the telephone, using her trusted network of donors to raise a little over $1,000 for first and last month's rent. The couple found a two-bed unit near the community college and moved in the week before Thanksgiving.

The couple smiled as they related their story. Christensen, who says she does this work for the Lord, said she got a bonus earlier from the couple's 3-year-old.

"She cupped her hands on each side of my face and said 'thank you for keeping us warm,'" Christensen said.

Bill now hopes to find a second job and Aimee has begun checking into care for the children so she can help stabilize their finances. They stand in contrast to the stereotypes people hold about the homeless.

CHRISTENSEN said she sees many similar cases. People become homeless due to job loss, financial mismanagement, mental illness, medical issues and addictions, she said.

Laziness also puts a percentage of people out on the streets, she admitted. But based on her years of experience, Christensen knows they can turn around their lives.

"I'm 61 years old and I've been doing this for 40 years," she said. "I've never seen a throw-away. These are some of the kindest, most loving people. All they need is a break."

Kim, another Ray of Hope resident, added: "and someone to believe in them," tossing a smile to Christensen.

Kim and her daughter, who just turned 18, came to the facility after they both lost their jobs and then their housing. She hesitated to call A Ray of Hope because she didn't know what to expect.

Christensen, always plain spoken, invited her to come over but warned that she wouldn't tolerate "a smart-mouthed teenager." Kim assured her that her daughter was "a good girl."

The two moved in about four weeks ago and Kim couldn't be happier or more grateful.

"It's so much a home," she said. "It's friendly. I've been to other places and they're like an institution."

Her daughter, now studying for her GED, helps out with the shelter's "Adopt A Family for Christmas" program. She has a job lined up and looks forward to moving into a place of her own.

Kim pitches in with kitchen duties at A Ray of Hope. As she spoke, she tended a big vat of chicken soup bubbling on the stove.

"Last night I made stuffed peppers," she said.

Kim represents just one of many volunteers who allow the shelter to function on a shoestring budget.

For nine years, Christensen has relied on her residents, churches, the community and a deep reservoir of faith to keep A Ray of Hope a haven for those who fall through the social-services safety net.

She and her husband started their ministry with a second-hand store on U.S. 2 East as a way to raise money for the down and out. The shelter grew from people knocking on A Ray of Hope's door with nowhere to go in freezing temperatures.

"We had a tent city over there," she said.

The operation moved next to a house on Apple Way, where she continued to take in people who had run out of resources. Then three years ago, A Ray of Hope also was facing homelessness.

"We were sitting there with nowhere to go with 42 people," Christensen recalled.

Right on time, their prayers were answered with supporter Anne Gentry putting $30,000 down for their home at 46 Fifth Avenue West.

"It was one of many miracles I've seen," she said with a smile.

CHRISTENSEN and her husband had another dream come true when they opened a rustic mountain retreat in Helmville, south of Ovando, where people withdrawing from drugs and alcohol can

stay as long as needed to get over their addictions, another major cause of homelessness.

This retreat, a simple facility, operates on the same faith formula as "A Ray of Hope." They provide the time and place for people to get straight without the problematic 30-day limitations of some facilities.

"Can you imagine trying to pull it all together in 30 days?" Christensen asked. "It usually takes a year or more."

A shelter resident named Carl said he was heading up to the mountain retreat in an effort to finally stay sober. The location helps, with no liquor stores or sources of drugs for well over 100 miles.

Carl said he had been on a several week binge when he decided to seek help through "A Ray of Hope." At 49, Carl said he wants to make his 50th birthday a milestone for a life cured of alcohol dependency.

"You've been sober now for seven days, haven't you Carl," Christensen said, smiling broadly.

As A Ray of Hope begins the third Christmas season in its own house, Christensen said she prays for enough seasonal donations to put aside a reserve fund of about $8,000 to help homeless families like Aimee and Bill and their toddlers get into rentals.

"Single people aren't a problem," Christensen said. "I can always tuck them in somewhere."

She also made a plea for volunteers to do budget counseling with people at the home who get jobs. Michael, a young man who ended up living in a tent in Libby, admits he needs help holding on to his paycheck.

Now, thanks to A Ray of Hope, he said he has a warm bed and a new job at Wendy's.

"I'm praying people out there will call and say 'I'm good at managing money and I'll help make them accountable," she said. "We'd really be grateful."

A Ray of Hope operates as a nonprofit, allowing donors to make tax-deductible contributions. No state or federal dollars go into their coffers so they avoid paperwork and regulations.

Bill Phillips, a certified public accountant who sits on the board of directors, wrote an endorsement letter saying the organization has adequate controls, skills and accountability. He called it the opposite of "a shiny high-image ministry."

"No one is getting rich," he wrote. "No one is even getting paid."

Christensen said A Ray of Hope helped more than 300 people, spending roughly $80,000 a year.

The organization uses cash donations to pay their own housing and utility expenses, as well as helping struggling people buy gas to get to work, bus tickets, formula and diapers, medications and more.

They also make good use of food donations like coffee, canned or baked goods. People also give clothing, like a man who recently dropped off some size 12 boots, just the size needed by one of the residents.

A Ray of Hope has even received automobiles that have gone to residents like Ben, a young man who ended up homeless when his mother died unexpectedly. He uses it to go to work and to help others get to appointments or jobs.

Christensen invites people who want to learn more about A Ray of Hope to come to the home and take a look around. She invites community members to add their name to their newsletter list by calling 755-4673.

The newsletter comes with an addressed envelope for donations. Christensen said donors come from all walks of life.

"It's just people who love the Lord," she said.

Civsana, the home's manager who sends out the newsletter, said he was so thankful for the generosity of the people of the Flathead Valley.

"Two people in Columbia Falls, little old ladies, send me two dollars every month," he said. "It's unreal."

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com