On a sunny day in January, a shovel turned on a new beginning for at-risk children in Montgomery and Walker Counties at the groundbreaking of a project to construct a temporary home for children for Isaiah 117 House. HomeAid Houston, the Greater Houston Builders Association (GHBA), and Isaiah 117 House Montgomery/Walker County staff, board, and supporters along with Builder Captains Dave Ebarb and Steve Smith from Chesmar Homes celebrated the kickoff of this project, which will potentially serve approximately 500 children in state care each year. It is estimated to be completed in June 2024.
With a retail construction value of $300,000 HomeAid’s mission will save Isaiah 117 House approximately 50% of construction costs through the in-kind construction management, labor, and materials of members of the GHBA. HomeAid Houston’s Executive Director Carole Brady said, “We are excited about this wonderful opportunity to partner with Isaiah 117 House. They do such amazing work for these precious at-risk children in our community, and we feel privileged to be a part of their growing story.”
Left to right: Lawrence Dean – HomeAid Board President, Pastor Heath Cook – Lead Pastor at Covenant Church Willis, Krista Patton – Isaiah 117 House Program Coordinator, Laura Nelson – Isaiah 117 House Program Coordinator, Marilyn Steer – DFPS Regional Director’s Program Specialist, Matthew Reibenstein – GHBA Board President, Royal Design Build Co., and Scott Merovitch – City President Chesmar Homes.
Founded in 2017 in Tennessee with a mission to provide physical and emotional support in a safe and loving home for children awaiting foster care placement, Isaiah 117 House currently serves 11 states. This project, which is the first of its kind in Montgomery/Walker Counties, will provide safe, short-term housing, services, and the comforts of home for children who have been removed from their homes by Child Protective Services (CPS).
Rather than being delivered to a sterile CPS office to await placement, which can require a few hours to several days, Isaiah 117 House welcomes scared, lonely, and hungry children to a safe, calming home with comfy beds. Friendly and loving volunteers provide nutritious meals, new clothing, school supplies, smiles, toys, snuggly blankets, and much more while the child welfare staff can identify a good placement.
Isaiah 117 House Foundation Founder/Executive Director Ronda Paulson said, “We are so grateful to this community for their support and for helping make this dream a reality for Montgomery and Walker Counties. These homes change the way foster care begins.”
“For the past two years, we at Isaiah 117 House Montgomery/Walker Counties, have been dreaming of what could be for the children of our community. I cannot think of any organization who has provided more to us than HomeAid Houston through the connections they have provided to Chesmar Homes, the Chesmar Foundation and the GHBA. HomeAid has given us the ability to build this essential home to care for children at their most vulnerable time, the day they are removed from their home by Child Protective Services,” said Krista Patton, Program Coordinator, Isaiah 117 House.
Since 2003, HomeAid Houston has completed 78 projects which house over 5,000 homeless men, women, and children annually.
For more information about HomeAid Houston visit https://homeaidhouston.org/ or call 281-970-8970. For information about Isaiah 117 House, visit https://isaiah117house.com/ or call 423-518-3760. For information about Chesmar visit https://chesmar.com.
