It occupied a storefront just east of the shelter on 11th Street North.

The store then, and now, provides an income stream to help operate the shelter and also provides a place for the men staying there to work. Some do so nearly full-time and others a few hours a day.

The store quickly outgrew the first space and when the opportunity, as well as a sizable donation became available, the Beacon purchased the building on the corner of First Avenue North and 11th Street next door to the old store.

They were not, however, able to make the purchase outright.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Beacon of Hope Executive Director Steve Roe, at right, looks over a vintage coffee urn inside the Second Chance thrift store with manager and Beacon resident Chad Gilstrap, at left. This section of the store was newly opened and is part of the building they purchased at the corner of First Avenue North and 10th Street.

For the first time in its history, the Beacon owed money. They do not accept government funding. The Beacon has always been funded by private and business donations.

Executive Director Steve Roe said it’s the first time they’ve been in debt.

“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,” he said, “which means that we are completely supported by the community and the people who believe in what we do.”

Roe proved the skeptics wrong.

“In the beginning, I was told that it would never work. We have been able to, for the first eight years, be debt-free with the Beacon of Hope and with our thrift store,” he said.

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

The new building has been moved into and provides a mix of retail space, work space and a meeting area where groups can gather.

Among Roe’s goals when they purchased the building was to be able to have space directed toward community outreach, mental illness in the community, support groups and suicide awareness.

“We want to be able to focus on those things and start getting more community outreach going,” he said. “The less we have to worry about the more we can focus on the ministry.”

Roe believes the community will step up and help them erase the debt.

Help, both financial and in-kind, helped build the shelter in the first place in the former Masonic Temple at 1021 First Ave. S.

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

There is no debt on the shelter building.

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

Roe said that God has been good in helping to provide for the Beacon’s needs.

“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 to our ministry,” Roe said. “We were just able to increase our thrift store by another 3,000 square feet. We were able to add another 3,000 square feet in warehouse and another 3,000 in a community support area.”