Dear Friends,

As we welcome 2026, we pause with deep gratitude for the compassion, partnership, and generosity you shared with Benjamin’s House throughout 2025. Because of you, our shelter remained a place of warmth, safety, and new beginnings for individuals and families facing homelessness during one of the most challenging years we’ve seen.

We are especially thankful to share encouraging news as we enter the new year. Benjamin’s House was recently awarded a WHEDA grant, providing a portion of the funding needed to update our heating and hot water systems. This critical support helps ensure we do not have to take rooms out of commission during the winter months and allows us to maintain stability for our guests.

While this grant brings us closer, we are still working toward the $120,000 total needed to complete the project. We are grateful that a private donor match remains in place—now increased to match up to $110,000. As we begin the new year, this matching opportunity means every contribution made toward warmth and infrastructure goes even further.

Throughout 2025, your support allowed us to:

• Operate our shelter at full capacity with 20 rooms
• Maintain 5 Continued Care Housing units at full capacity, with January 1, 2026 welcoming our 6th unit into the program —made possible through the generosity of incredible local businesses and partners, including Northwest Builders, Kitchen & Floor Decor, Spectrum Painting, B&B Electric, Solutions Heating and Cooling, and Ross Plumbing, alongside the Mary Alphonse Bradley Funding Grant (more to come on this AMAZING Project!)
• Serve individuals and families navigating homelessness, mental health challenges, domestic violence, chronic health conditions, and unexpected crises
• Keep our doors open 24/7, with dedicated staff providing compassionate, consistent care

Looking ahead, we are excited to gather our community once again at the Benjamin’s House Gala—an evening to celebrate hope, resilience, and the collective impact we make together. We would love for you to join us as we continue building a stronger, more supportive community.

Thank you for standing with us—through your generosity, advocacy, volunteerism, and belief in this mission. Your support brings warmth not only to our building, but to every life touched within it.

With heartfelt appreciation and best wishes for the New Year,

Jenifer

Hope & New Beginnings

Since 2011, Benjamin's House has provided more than just shelter—it's a place of hope, transformation, and new beginnings. 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." We assist individuals in resolving their homelessness and finding stability, whether they're residents or members of the broader community.

From Uncertainty to Independence

Behind every number is a real person—someone seeking safety, stability, and a chance to move forward. One mother shared:

“When I arrived at Benjamin’s House, I had little to nothing — no vehicle, no job, and no place to live. In just five months, my life completely changed.

I found a job, a vehicle, and a home for my daughters and me.

Benjamin’s House kept me accountable with daily chores and a curfew, which helped me build structure and focus on what I needed to do. There was always someone available to help — with applications, community resources, or a word of encouragement when I needed it most.”

Stories like hers remind us why this work we do matters. It reminds us why we have two separate programs and that when one is doing well in-shelter, but still has a barrier to finding affordable housing, we can still offer support with our Continued Care Housing Program. This program helps increase the long-term success of our clients. Her journey, like so many others reminds us that with stability, structure, and support, lasting change is possible.

While more than 60% of those we serve come from Barron County, we also welcome individuals and families from surrounding areas, with Washburn County representing the next highest need.



Read More Success Stories Here