History
A Short History of Milagro House
Our program was started in 1998 as a transitional housing program for mothers and their children experiencing homelessness.
Initially, Milagro House was located in one rented row house in Lancaster's 7th Ward. The houses around us were condemned and our neighbors were drug dealers and addicts. Since 1998, Milagro House purchased several additional properties on that same block of South Christian Street. That location now provides homes for nine families. In 2004 we opened the Milagro House Education Center where GED, remedial and enrichment education classes are taught.
Through the generosity of a local donor, we were able to purchase a beautiful building on Howard Avenue, right around the corner from the residences. In 2010, our Milagro House Education Center expanded into this Howard Avenue property, creating space in the corner property for an on-site childcare facility. All donations over and above what our residents need continue to be shared with our neighbors.
Nine more families reside at our West Chestnut Street house—the Stoudt Family Center for Education. When we first announced our plans for the Stoudt Center, there were those in our new community who feared the value of their properties would drop once a "shelter" was in their neighborhood. Milagro House won the support of our west end community, and the Lancaster courts, and our families moved into a former fraternity house on the corner of College and Chestnut. Happily, most of our neighbors now stop by with donations or goodies for the children. They've seen that we are a good neighbor and that our families are not so different from their own families.
Milagro House has an annual operating budget of approximately $400,000. We are funded solely by private donations from the Lancaster Community—individuals, businesses, schools, religious organizations and service and fraternal groups, as well as the grant monies we receive from foundations. We hold fundraisers, including our "Evening of Miracles" held in the fall, which add to our coffers and bring new supporters to our program. Milagro House does not solicit or receive government funding. This has allowed us to operate our program without the strict guidelines and limitations that often accompany public funding.
Since 1998, Milagro House has provided services to hundreds of families, including over one thousand children. Women who successfully reach their goals while living at Milagro House remain part of our permanent supportive housing program after they move to independent living. They can then take advantage of our follow-up services which helps our women maintain their new-found independence and build upon their success.
Both word of mouth and referrals by areas hospitals, agencies and rehabilitation services ensure that we will never lack for residents. We rarely have rooms open for more than a week or two. The hard work and success of our residents inspires us to continually improve our programs to better serve the women, their children, and our entire community.