Gilead House Makeover Fueled by Hope

Jacque McLaughlin gave a tour of the new Gilead House a few days ago and heard a woman say something that really struck her.

“She said, ‘It feels like hope,’” McLaughlin said.

On Friday afternoon, the executive director of the nonprofit that aids homeless women and their children presided over a ribbon cutting at the $2.6 million complex on Seventh Street in Novato that will soon become home for six families. Dignitaries, donors and volunteers turned out to mark the occasion and rejoice in that infectious  hope.

“I have seen the whole community come together to support the women and children who desperately need a little bit of hope,” McLaughlin said. “It is exciting and encouraging to see so many people and businesses come together to make a difference.”

Gilead House, named after a sanctuary of healing in ancient Israel, is a yearlong, faith-based program for families transitioning from a crisis lifestyle to one of independence and stability. Each woman is assigned a volunteer mentor who makes an 18-month commitment — 12 months at Gilead House and a six-month transition period. The women learn parenting, budgeting and life skills as they try to get solid ground underneath them. Many of the families become lifelong friends with their Gilead mentors.

It was a scramble to get ready for the ribbon cutting and workers are still fine-tuning the complex before the families move in. It’s also a scramble to remind the community that fundraising is not completed yet; despite a major boost from the Marin Community Foundation, several hundred thousand dollars still need to be raised because no federal or state funds are involved.

“Our goal was to move in debt free, which is not the typical way this happens,” McLaughlin said. “More than 50 businesses and organizations have helped us. Hundreds of people have contributed in some way.”

The land on downtown Novato’s west side was donated and funds for construction of the 5,249-square-foot multifamily home started being raised in 2009. The complex includes a separate unit for the house manager, a bedroom/bathroom for each family, a “great room” study and play area for kids, laundry facilities, a kitchen for all to share, two offices and a meeting room (one that can be rented by the public). 

“We took the moms and the kids to the house a few weeks ago to see where their rooms would be, and the minute they walked in the kids were running up and down the hallways, laughing and giggling,” McLaughlin said. “The moms are very excited, too, and played a strong part on helping us set up the place. We asked them how they wanted to set up the kitchen, where to put the washers and driers, where each mom would have a cabinet to store their own food. We’ve included them all the way in these decisions and we’ve thought very carefully about what our residents might think and need.”

Once the families move in, Gilead House hopes to capitalize on its momentum and discover a new group of supporters who will watch the residents thrive in the community.

“Awareness of Gilead House is growing as a result of this,” McLaughlin said. “People walking along the street have stopped me and asked what’s going on, and I would stop what I was doing and give them a tour. That left them all excited, and some of those people have decided to volunteer.

“Anytime you have a big vision and it comes to life, it’s really heartwarming. I think more and more people realize it’s not just for the moms, but it’s for the children and their own children down the line. They’ll learn to be self-sufficient. It’s really one family at a time — one mom, one child. You have success and there’s an exponential effect.”

And it all started with hope.

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Learn more about Gilead House on its Facebook page or at www.gileadhouse.org.