VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Deborah Highe has lived in Virginia Beach for 30 years and only recently learned about Samaritan House, a nonprofit that provides safe shelter and support for people escaping domestic violence, human trafficking, and homelessness.
Now, she's making it her goal to give back.
"It's bigger than me. It's bigger than me and it's an awesome place to be. I'm just thankful that I had an opportunity to start with the donations," Highe said.
The donation department at Samaritan House stays busy, with volunteers collecting and sorting everything from clothes and food to toiletries and diapers for children. But helping people with housing has proven more difficult.
The nonprofit has 12 emergency shelters, and they operate a program to place individuals and families in permanent homes.
Kate Celius, senior development manager at Samaritan House, said rising costs have made it harder to stretch every dollar.
"Even 5 years ago, $12,000 or more could cover housing costs for a family for a year. Now it might barely even cover half a year," Celius said.
Celius said both housing costs and the number of people needing help are going up.
"I know it’s been a little while, but during the pandemic we saw a 76% increase in the need for our services, and the reason I bring that up is that number never went down," Celius said.
The impact is becoming more apparent in schools and the workplace she said.
"You may find your coworker skipping lunch or missing work because they can't afford to get to work," Celius said.
For those who can't make it to work, the choice often comes down to paying rent or putting food on the table. Celius said Samaritan House can help by covering housing security deposits or unpaid utility bills.
"When they reach out to us, they're immediately connected with a case manager, sometimes a victim advocate, but that case manager is the one connecting them to those internal and external resources,” Celius said. "It's a really holistic program to make sure all their basic, and not so basic, needs are met."
Now that Highe knows about the organization, she wants others to know too.
"Now that I do know, I would like other people to know and that way they can come and they can help out the best way that they can as well," Highe said.
The community can support Samaritan House by becoming a monthly monetary donor, donating clothes or home supplies, or volunteering. Click here for more details on how to give.
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