Being in debt is new for the men’s shelter, according to Executive Director Steve Roe. He said that this is the first time since the shelter opened in 2010 that it has owed money to anyone.

“I think one of our greatest accomplishments that we’ve done so far is being able to maintain the ministry and grow without taking any government money,” Roe said. “Which means that we are completely supported by the community and the people that believe in what we do.”

“In the beginning, I was told that it would never work, and we have been able to, for the past eight years, be debt-free with the Beacon of Hope and with our (Second Chance) thrift store,” he added.

That debt came from the purchase of the building on the southeast corner of First Avenue North and 11th Street last year.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Beacon of Hope resident Dale Gustafson helps sort clothing in the intake area of the Second Chance thrift store.

“We’ve been able to pay off a fair chunk of the building, but we still need to raise money to do so,” he said. “And so my biggest project is being able to pay off the debt that we have incurred on this building and focus more on the ministry at heart.”

The new building will be used to help expand the services that the Beacon offers.

“We’re very thankful to have this new building because the new building is going to be more directed to community outreach, mental illness in our community, support groups, suicide awareness,” Roe said. “So we want to be able to focus on those things and start getting more community outreach going. The less we have to worry about, the more we can focus on the ministry.”

There’s about $60,000 the Beacon still owes on the building, “which is pretty small when you consider all that God has provided for us,” Roe said, adding that the community has also been a major supporter of the Beacon and its efforts.

As an example, he mentioned the building where the Beacon is located, 1021 First Ave. N.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Steve Roe, Beacon of Hope executive director, right, helps Chad Gilstrap, Second Chance thrift store manager and Beacon resident, carry a mattress out of the store.

“In the beginning, we were looking at $500,000 to bring it up to code,” he said. “And the community helped us do that. We also added another $500,000 in repairs in the kitchen and the washroom and sprinkler system.”

That building has no outstanding debt.

“I think that speaks for our community,” Roe said. “That speaks for the support that we’ve received from the people that believe in what we are doing.”

Another advantage of being supported by the public, and not the government, is that anybody is welcome at the Beacon.

And Roe said, with his faith in God, he doesn’t worry about paying off the debt.

“Now, I’m not going to go to bed worrying at night how we’re going to pay our bills,” he said. “God’s plan is that we spend time changing lives, and that’s what my focus is, and He will provide. Whether people give or not, God is going to pay off this building, one way or another. He has come through and He has always proven that he is great, and that’s reality.”

“This building will get paid off,” he added.

Additional repairs

While getting debt-free is Roe’s biggest goal, there are also some other projects the Beacon of Hope is working on that need funding as well.

One of the biggest projects Roe would like to get done is getting the Beacon’s roof repaired.

He estimates that would cost about $75,000.

“Our guys are willing to get up on the roof and we can do a lot of repairs with a few gallons of tar and keep plugging along like we are,” he said. “But the day’s going to come where we’re going to be looking at a $75,000 roof to get everything done right.”

Roe said the shelter also needs a van, which is used to transport the men to doctor’s appointments both in Fort Dodge and to other places like Des Moines, Ames and Iowa City.

The last van, which has close to 300,000 miles on it, was actually donated to the shelter, and Roe said he’s hoping someone might be able to donate another one.

“And then there’s the unexpected things,” Roe said. “Our elevator in our building is going to be needing to be updated to bring it up to code. That’s around $10,000 for that.”

One person’s donation helped check one item off the shelter’s list; they had been seeking a box truck, and Roe said when an unnamed donor found out, they came forward and gave a box truck to the Beacon of Hope.

Roe said the shelter receives donations on pretty much a daily basis.

“We get checks every day from the community, and people just mail it to our address,” he said. “And they can leave a note with how they would like it designated if they prefer that.”

Roe said God has been good when it comes to keeping the Beacon of Hope and its mission going.

“We started off with one building in March of 2010, and nine years later, there’s been a momentum of how God has just added and added and added to our ministry,” he said. “To the point where we have a thrift store right across the street and we were just able to increase our thrift store by another 3,000 feet. We were able to add another 3,000 feet in warehouse and another 3,000 feet in a community support area.”

Many told Roe that it could not be done.

“In the beginning, just about everybody that crossed my path warned me and said my goals and my expectations were way too high and that they would never work,” Roe said. “And to have God prove and show us that he is way bigger than our thinking is incredible.”