Divine Design

A Warm and Welcoming 'Home' for Residents of a Shelter

It's hard to imagine what it would be like to have to run for your life?leaving everything you know and love behind?and escape to another country. Thankfully, many who know this horror have found Matthew House, a shelter for refugees. These innocent people, forced to flee their homes and communities, have faced physical, mental, and emotional trauma, and confronted terrifying obstacles during their escape from persecution and war. Matthew House is the vision of executive director Anne Woolger-Bell, and is "home" for those traumatized and seeking asylum. The Matthew House community becomes their new, caring family and, even when residents find employment and permanent accommodations, they return to the warmth, care, and friendship they found while there. As a physical place, Matthew House is an old, two story, semi-detached downtown house that has seen better days. They are always at capacity with 12 refugee 'residents' and often have more people at mealtimes with volunteers and former residents who come back to visit and to help. Anne has asked Candice to create a serene and welcoming environment, and that means making over the shabby and dysfunctional living and dining room. Right now the layout is awkward and there is a hodge-podge of worn out furniture in the dull and dreary space. But Candice has a beautiful plan to increase the capacity of the main living space and create a warm and inviting area that will welcome newcomers and become the heart of the home.