BENJAMINS HOUSE

We are the homeless shelter serving Barron County, Wisconsin, and surrounding areas. Our mission is, "Working together with others to provide shelter, food, support services and an avenue to self-sufficiency for the homeless and people in need." In January 2009, a group of 20 individuals formed a group to address the issue of rural homelessness and its negative impact on the health and well-being of people without shelter and the overall community(ies) in which they live. The idea to develop an emergency shelter was born. A Board of Directors was formed and the shelter opened its doors in February 2011 in the convent building which formerly housed the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis. The shelter was named after Mother Mary Benjamin, the Mother Superior of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis. The Board of Directors quickly realized that case management services would be the key to achieving successful outcomes as merely providing safe shelter was not enough to help our client-residents achieve self-sufficiency. We also learned that some client-residents are not able to secure safe and affordable housing, income (employment or benefits), or resolve health issues within the 90-day program and require an extended stay, with continued Case Management services. As a result, we developed a Continued Care Housing Program (CCHP) to meet those needs. Our client-residents come to us from Barron, Sawyer, Washburn, Rusk, Chippewa, Dane, Polk, Pierce, St. Croix Valley counties, and beyond. Of the total 1,1526 individuals served by Benjamin’s House since 2011, 403 were children, 60 were veterans, and 211 were over the age of 55. In 2023, we provided 9,084 bed nights to 138 client-residents and assisted 29 households achieve permanent housing after completion of the program.