(Or at least the date of our AGAIN! fundraiser is.) 17th Annual St. Francis House Dinner & Auction Please join us on Monday, September 21, 2020 Sioux Falls Convention Center Bidding Starts 5:30 pm • Dinner Starts 6:00 pm Reserve Tickets by contacting Julie at: [email protected] 2 ST. FRANCIS HOUSE On December 19, 2019 the St. blessing. Then the pandemic hit and Francis House provided the last meals we have never been so blessed to be and guests slept their last night in the in our new building. Our large dining main shelter at 1301 E. Austin. The room allows us to not only serve next day, we all rose early to begin our guests but also to follow proper our move into our new home at 210 social distancing. Guest bedrooms N. Sherman on a very cold winter are more spacious allowing them be day. Emotions were running high comfortable and having better access as guests not only moved their own for private meetings with their case belongings over to their new room, managers. but also hauled out the old beds and The love, support and gifts from our bed frames. On this Friday evening, amazing community have allowed we shut off all the lights for the first the St. Francis House to not only keep time and locked the door from the operating but to give hope to all who outside. As we closed this building, live and work in our home. Each day we reflected on all the faces of people as we walk through the doors of our who came to live with us, volunteer new home, we are beyond Thankful, with us, donate to us and also work Grateful and Truly Blessed! for us. As we began 2020, our hopes were so high of the increased number of beds for guests as well as our beautiful new kitchen. The ability to have room not only for guests, but our wonderful walk in freezer and kitchen to store food is a true St. Francis House Dinner & Auction 3 FROM THE BOARD Welcome to the St. Francis House virtual fundraiser. Times may have changed, but our mission has not. We continue “Moving People from Homelessness to Hope” each day. The need for the SFH is greater than ever before. So, thank you for joining us. What a year it has been. With your help we opened the first phase of our beautiful new facility just before Christmas. That included rooms for 60 guests, a dining room and kitchen. This summer our second phase was completed, which added room for another 60 guests. All together we have doubled the number of guests we can serve. The new facility is a huge improvement for our guests. The building is roomy and filled with light. Before it opened we had up to 20 people living in a shared space. Now there are just two guests per room. The shower rooms are much larger and create more privacy. And the exercise room with donated exercise equipment helps guests with their wellness goals. The new building includes a chapel and more space for guests to gather for activities and classes. There is also more room to store the many personal items needed by guests. Our state-of-the-art kitchen has a walk-in cooler and freezer which allow us to stock up on food, which is generously donated by local restaurants, businesses and individuals. We are thankful for the bounty of fresh produce from gardeners right now. Rest assured, we are making use of every food donation. Commercial grade appliances make meal preparation much easier, and the serving line is much less congested now. COVID 19 has been a big challenge for everyone including the St. Francis House. We have had just one case of COVID, which lead to a lockdown. No one left the house and there were multiple temperature checks and screening questions for over a month. We were not able to accept donations and had no volunteers for four months. Had we been in the old building, with the tight quarters and a lack of ventilation, the virus could have easily spread to the entire guest population as well as staff and volunteers. The new building is truly a blessing. The massive project would not have happened without you. Let’s not forget what the St. Francis House is all about. For 33 years we have been providing individuals with a warm and safe place to stay. We welcome each guest with mutual respect and without judgement. Our mission covers many areas. We assist guests in locating community resources, including assistance with finding and keeping a job which includes benefits, securing transportation, enrolling children in school and/ or child care, managing money and other general life skills. Guest referrals for everything from addiction to health care to GED services are also given. As you consider your giving for our annual fundraiser, know we are stewards of all donations and resources. The guests, staff, volunteers and board members thank you for your past and continued contributions. Help the St. Francis House give the homeless hope. Enjoy the evening and bid away!” God Bless. Dexter Gronseth, President, Board of Directors 4 AWARD WINNERS INSTRUMENT OF COURAGE: Lloyd Companies This award is given annually in recognition of a Business Donor who has unselfishly given of their resources to the St. Francis House. INSTRUMENT OF PEACE: Ron & Sue Struck This award is given annually in recognition of the individual volunteer who has unselfishly given of their time to the St. Francis House. INSTRUMENT OF LOVE: Ransom Church This award is given annually in recognition of a Faith Community whose members has given unselfishly of their time, talents, and treasure to the St Francis House. INSTRUMENT OF HOPE: Nichole Barry This award is given annually in recognition of a guest at the St Francis House who has demonstrated courage and leadership in the house. DID YOU KNOW? • We provide 3 well-balanced meals each day, plus snacks for our guests. • Our guests are required to obtain and maintain full-time employment. • Our guests can stay up to a year. • Guests are required to deposit 100% of any • The most a guest has saved while staying with income they receive into a savings account that the St. Francis House is $15,365.62. we establish for them. • Today, we serve 75 single females, 68 single • Guests are required to pay on any outstanding males and 7 families. debt, including fines, restitution, child support, • We try to assist our guests with obtaining and past due utilities. maintaining affordable housing in the Sioux • We are zero tolerant of alcohol, drugs and Falls community. gambling. • From 7/1/19 to 6/30/20, our guests paid • We give our guests a sack lunch for them to take $154,485.28 to SD Counties for fines and/or to work. restitution. • We are open 365 days a year and 24 hours a day • From 7/1/19 to 6/30/20 our guests paid to serve our guests. $23,515.45 in child support. St. Francis House Dinner & Auction 5 SPEAKERS NICHOLES’S STORY: ‘They continue to provide support and love.’ CURRENT ST. FRANCIS HOUSE BOARD OF DIRECTORS In February, 2018 I was told by my parole officer, I would need to pack what I could carry and go to the Children’s Inn. The next morning, I would need to check into the St. Francis House. Prior to this day, for the most part, I had been successful on parole for 2 years. Unfortunately, the full story is I wasn’t fully honest with my parole officer about all the things happening in my life. I know realize if I had just been honest with him and told him these things, he would have gotten me out sooner. The whole year-and-a-half process I went through could have been avoided. Fortunately, I believe it all happened for a reason and it needed to happen that way so that I could see things for how they really were. Because without these events, I would have kept falling backwards into the same thing. I got out of prison after two years for felony DUIs. I was told things were one way and they were the complete opposite. Through many months of mental abuse, many arguments, physical altercations, lies, cheating, stealing, drug abuse, and all out false impersonation of who he really was, I wanted to leave my husband but didn’t know how to get out.\Late January of 2018, my parole officer amongst others came to my home and I was arrested for things that were not mine. Now I don’t pretend to be completely innocent. I did drugs with my husband more than a handful of times. I had it in my head if I did use with him, I wouldn’t be the boring wife. He wouldn’t need to be with or search out anyone else. This was the worst day of my life. I was looking at fifty years with all of my charges. My ex never got a single charge. My son was taken from me. He was all I had and I was all he had for a long time. I got out on a PR bond as long as I agreed I would do two UA’s a week and be on good standing with parole. After a very heated CPS meeting that’s when my PO decided for my own safety to get me to the St.