Genesis House: Providing a Pathway to Stability for Homeless Families

(Article submitted by Genesis House for our Community Day newspaper)

When you enter the apartment, you see signs of the family who lives there. Cereal boxes sit atop the refrigerator, and breakfast bowls dry next to the sink. A school picture of an eight-year-old boy is tacked to the front of the refrigerator, and balloons from his recent birthday are taped to the wall. By the front door, a fishing pole leans for the teenager who loves to fish at the river after school. Most nights, mom, dad, and their two kids eat dinner together at the kitchen table, just the four of them.

There’s no sign that the family is homeless, but they are. After several months spent in the Genesis House homeless shelter, the family is preparing to move into their own home with the help of a Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) Voucher.

Genesis House Mission

The mission of Genesis House is to provide secure temporary housing and supportive services as homeless adults and families transition to more stable housing. Genesis House of Olean operates two homeless shelters. The main shelter at 107 S. Barry St. serves adult men and women, while homeless families are housed in individual apartments a few blocks away. This arrangement allows families to live with dignity as they navigate homelessness.

During the intake process, staff begin compiling a list of local resources the family or individual could benefit from and things they will need.

“We help arrange for the kids to have a ride to school, make referrals for medical appointments, help the adults look for jobs or other resources (like the VASH Voucher), make sure they have access to food, refer young kids to Head Start, and connect them to other agencies—really, whatever they need. Our ultimate goal at Genesis House is always to find permanent housing, but there’s a lot more that goes into it,” said Melissa Yaworsky, executive director of Genesis House.

Support and Resources

Genesis House staff help residents set goals and track their progress with daily check-ins with case managers. Weekly group meetings cover life skills topics like budgeting, being a good tenant, and how to communicate with landlords. Residents in the adult shelter are assigned chores and are responsible for keeping their own space clean, doing laundry, and cooking their own meals, just as they will when they move out. Often, adults in the shelter form friendships and cook together in small groups.

Expanding Capacity

The family shelter currently has two apartments, but the need for homeless families in Cattaraugus County is so great that they are looking to add a third this fall.

“When we looked at the need five years ago, we never would have predicted the current number of homeless families,” said Yaworsky. “At the time, the largest need was for single adults, but since COVID, the number of homeless families has increased drastically.”

The shelter at Barry St., which houses adults, has increased capacity from 12 beds to 17 beds over the last year. Each of the six rooms has more than one bed, so everyone has a roommate. In addition, bathrooms, kitchen, and living room space are shared by all 17 residents. Some stay for just a few nights, while others stay for a few months.

Code Blue Warming Center

This winter, Genesis House also served as a Code Blue Warming Center on nights it was expected to be colder than 32 degrees. People could stay for the night, take a shower, do a load of laundry, and have a hot meal.

Impact in 2023

In 2023, Genesis House served 101 single adults and 7 families with 15 children between the two locations. They provided 6,635 nights of shelter, the most in any single year since they opened in 1995.

Success Stories: Mike’s Experience

One of those people was Mike, who shared his experience at Genesis House:

“Before I came to Genesis House, I was in a rough spot. I was homeless and without support, a job, or hope. During my time at Genesis House, I was shown there was a way. They gave me food, security, and motivation. Genesis House helped me meet people and find housing. The staff was really there for me, and that’s why I still stop by and continue to keep Genesis House as part of my life. Being at Genesis House made me feel accepted, and that’s a big one for homeless people.”

About Genesis House

Genesis House is a United Way agency dedicated to providing temporary housing and supportive services to homeless individuals and families. For more information, visit genesishouseofolean.org.