NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — EDITOR'S NOTE: Menchville House Ministries offers roughly 50 beds for families in need, not 'nearly 500 beds,' as stated in attached video.
Curtis Green fell on hard times last year.
“I had no idea which way I was going to go. I was broken," he said.
Recently divorced, Green was homeless, without a job and raising two young children.
“It’s been a struggle, but the light is at the end,” he said.
That light got brighter when he connected with Menchville House Ministries on September 14, 2021.
The non-profit emergency shelter offers roughly 50 beds for families in the Denbigh area of Newport News.
“We’re all about moving our residents from hurt to hope," said Sylvia Jones, Menchville House executive director. “From the meals, the beds, the linens – everything here is free.”
Right now, housing is a major issue because of the pandemic, according to Jones. Case managers work with people, like Green, to get back on their feet.
“The first day I got here. The second day I got a job,” Green said.
The job came with benefits.
The organization also provides bus tickets for transportation and children participate in a free summer camp through a partnership with the YMCA.
Jones said the Menchville House is a "low barrier" shelter, meaning there are few requirements to enter the program. Residents must be at least 18 years old, open to case management and willing to follow the program's policies and guidelines. Families must also actively search for housing and employment.
Green said the people at Menchville House also helped him in ways he never imagined, including gaining custody of his children, ages 10 and 11. Though not their biological father, Green said he has raised them since they were toddlers.
Menchville House staff helped Green get back in school after he admitted he struggled to read.
"My friend Mrs. Sylvia said, 'Curtis, I’m not going to let you go out there like that. You got to complete what you started,'" recalled a tearful Green. "And that’s what I’m in the process of doing."
Jones said it brings a smile to her face to know they’re helping to change people's lives.
Green will move out on his own in the next few weeks, and he can’t wait to pay it forward and help someone else.
"The only way you get help, you have to ask for it," he said. "And that’s what the Menchville House has done for me."
The Menchville House is one of several organizations highlighted as part of our Give Local 757 campaign on May 10. For more information about the organization, click here.