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The house, at 1515 State St. in La Crosse, opened in 2005 and offers up to eight women from drug and alcohol treatment centers a 90-day refuge, said Program Director Susan Powell.
“When you’re living so close to the edge, it takes a small thing to push you over into poverty,” Powell said.
Residents are independent in the home, she said, but are carefully screened to make sure they’ll get the best the program has to offer.
Apart from shelter, the women can get help with referrals to doctors, county services, counseling and education, she said. The main goals are to keep the women sober and not homeless.
“It’s a beautiful older home,” Powell said, “but it is an older home. It’s not as energy efficient as it can be.”
That’s where the new windows, along with insulation, come in. They’re made possible by the first grant from a new Johns, Flaherty & Collins fund administered by the La Crosse Community Foundation.
Michael Stoker, an attorney and partner at Johns, Flaherty & Collins, said the $268,293.94 fund was established last year after a class-action lawsuit, and $10,000 annually is expected to be paid out to nonprofit agencies helping to fight homelessness. The grant to Ruth House was for $7,711.
“Our motto is ‘Good neighbors. Great lawyers,’” Stoker said. “We look for projects, and in this case, we had a fund to help out.”
Ruth House currently has two residents, Powell said, with another three expected soon. The new windows will be a welcome addition.
“It’s gratifying that the community sees this issue and are taking action and addressing it at a local level,” Powell said.
Ryan Stotts can be reached at (608) 791-8446 or ryan.stotts@lee.net.
