Gateway Mission solves homelessness with education, training
Editor’s Note: This article is the second in The Sentinel’s “Homes for the Holidays” series by reporter Cassidey Kavathas. For the past two months, Kavathas and photographer Adam Vander Kooy have spoken to residents affected by homelessness, toured local organizations and spoken to housing experts. In her series, Kavathas will explore the challenges posed by a lack of affordable housing, the nonprofits working to combat it, and the solutions that might bring our neighbors back home.
HOLLAND — With Christmas only eight days away, volunteers at Gateway Mission’s Women and Children’s Center wrap donations to gift to families in their care. As the only organization with broad overnight shelter programs in Ottawa County and Allegan County, the holiday season at Gateway looks a little different.
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“We are (here) to serve those that are desperately in need of a warm place, a safe place and a warm meal to reset the trajectory of their lives,” Jay Riemersma, executive director at Gateway, told The Sentinel.
For over a century, Gateway Mission has served the homeless population in Holland — beginning with Nellie Churchford in 1903 as the Holland City Mission. Churchford was only 19, and started by organizing tent revival meetings on W. Eighth Street just south of River Avenue, according to local historian Steve VanderVeen. She utilized various vacant downtown buildings to feed and clothe the poor.
The organization had multiple homes over the years, including 178 Central Ave. opposite the Warm Friend Tavern, 51-53 E. Eighth Street, 74 E. Eighth Street and 166 S. River Ave. Offering a warm place to stay overnight, according to VanderVeen, began in 1982 under the leadership of Ralph and Sandra Houston.
It wasn’t always warmly received.
“Fearing that offering beds to homeless men would attract more homeless men, the locals were wary,” VanderVeen wrote. “The health and fire inspectors reflected their concern and frequently stopped by in search of code violations.”
But change followed.
In the coming decades, under Daryl Bartlett, the organization changed its name to Holland Rescue Mission, then to Gateway Mission — and the goal expanded far beyond providing short-term housing. Thrift stores were opened, an annual Thanksgiving Banquet provided a hot meal and socialization for hundreds, and on-the-job training was given to program members.
“Far too many agencies, and even well intentioned Christians in a very generous community in West Michigan, focus only on relief,” Riemersma said. “As soon as the bleeding stops, as soon as the relief is over, we want to move away from doing something for them to having them do it themselves. … If you go overboard with relief, we would say that’s misguided compassion, and you’re actually enabling poor behavior.”
Riemersma took over for Bartlett after his retirement in December 2022 — and they were big shoes to fill. In 1994, the organization housed 742 people. Last year, it provided over 50,000 nights of housing and 150,000 meals. The shelters saw 810 adults and 175 children.
Also in 2022, Gateway acquired the former Davenport University property on Waverly Road, in hopes of someday transforming the property to accommodate greater need.
“We did anticipate some of these trends coming,” Riemersma said. “That’s a way to address our community to make sure that Holland remains a safe and secure environment for families to raise their kids and a great place to just come visit.”
Gateway has different levels of service, from the Emergency Shelter to the Pathway Program to the Forge Program to the Thrive Internship. The first provides for emergent and basic needs.
“We really focus on gaining trust of the individual, building a relationship, getting to know them personally, and understanding what brought them through our door,” Riemersma said.
The Pathway Program focuses on stability through full-time employment, financial education and relationship-building aided by worship — though, admittedly, the latter piece of the puzzle has sometimes made the program difficult for guests who observe other religions, or none at all.
“We don’t want people to simply endure poverty and homelessness, we want them to escape it,” Riemersma said.
The Forge Program is quite long — lasting 40 weeks. It’s designed as a path out of homelessness, continuing the work from Pathway, and is followed by the Thrive Internship. The organization sees roughly 10-25 total program graduates each year.
The whole process, Riemersma said, could take up to two years.
“We’ve had very high success rates,” he said. “Upwards of 70% of (graduates) don’t experience homelessness and poverty again, which is really, really encouraging.”
So, as volunteers wrap gifts, the question isn’t whether Gateway will keep them warm; but whether Gateway can change their future.
“We’re all about getting people to escape poverty and resetting the trajectory of their lives.”
— Cassidey Kavathas is the politics and court reporter at The Holland Sentinel. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @cassideykava
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