About Beatitude House

Empowering Women for 30 Years

Mission Statement

Beatitude House, sponsored by the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown, is committed to serving all disadvantaged women and children. By creating homes, providing educational opportunities and fostering healthy families, we provide them with the opportunity to transform their lives.

Our Organization Values

Our Story

Inspiration can take many forms and strike at any moment. For Ursuline Sister Margaret Scheetz, the inspiration to open Beatitude House came in the form of a film, God Bless the Child. This film, written by a Youngstown man, is the story of a mother and daughter caught in the cycle of poverty and homelessness. The mother must make the painful decision to give up her daughter, in order for her to lead a better life, giving her daughter a chance at a life she felt she couldn’t give her.

After seeing this film, Sr. Margaret was moved to take action in the community and help women and children break the cycle of poverty and homelessness.

With a firm belief that education is the best way out of poverty, Sr. Margaret established Beatitude House. Beatitude House is a nonprofit corporation of the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown that addresses the needs of all disadvantaged women and children.

Since its inception in 1988, Beatitude House has greatly expanded its services to address the growing needs of the community. The organization now operates transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, Immigrant Outreach including English Language services and Ursuline Sisters Scholars.

Throughout the years, Beatitude House has benefited from the generosity of those in the community whether it is through their time, talents or monetary support. In 1990 an anonymous donor gave the Ursuline Sisters a Tudor home on the city’s north side. That building was transformed into an apartment complex for Transitional Housing services, providing shelter for women and children. The first families moved into the building in 1991 and soon two complexes were added to the program. Those complexes can house up to 12 families. Currently, our housing program has expanded to include an additional 25 permanent supportive housing units throughout Mahoning County and an additional 10 transitional housing units in Ashtabula.

Sadly, in January 2001 Sister Margaret passed away, but her legacy lives on in her ministry. Beatitude House continues her dream of helping women and children break the cycle of poverty and violence and builds lives of stability and hope. Having worked with Sr. Margaret from the beginning, Sr. Patricia McNicholas and Teresa Boyce have taken the reigns and are Co-Directors.

The Beatitude House Timeline

1988 – 2018

 

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The Beatitude House Timeline

1988 – 2018

  • 1988
    Sister Margaret Scheetz is inspired by the film God Bless the Child to provide a service for women and their children experiencing poverty and homelessness in the Mahoning Valley.
  • 1990
    The Ursuline Sisters receive a donated Tudor-style home on the north side of Youngstown.
  • 1991
    The first four families move into the original home, which has been converted to an apartment complex, where the mothers begin the journey to transform their lives.
  • 1992
    Beatitude House obtains a second apartment complex, providing shelter for four additional families.
  • 1993
    Beatitude House obtains a third apartment complex, bringing the number of homes available to 12. The program is rightfully named A House of Blessing.
  • 1996
    The Potter’s Wheel, an education and career preparation program, is established and offers job placement services, computer classes, math tutoring, GED preparation and counseling services.
  • 2000
    The Trumbull County Housing Collaborative invites Beatitude House to join and establish a transitional housing location in Warren.
  • 2002
    The new transitional housing site, A House of Blessing Warren, opens and houses seven homeless families. An education and career preparation program is also located here.
  • 2006
    The Permanent Supportive Housing program begins for homeless women with disabilities. Five of these apartments are located above The Potter’s Wheel on Youngstown’s west side with the others scattered throughout Mahoning County.
  • 2008
    Matching the needs of the community, The Potter’s Wheel moves to providing English Language classes to immigrant families in the area. English Language Learners, now Immigrant Outreach, provides English classes with babysitting, tutoring for immigrant children, case management to help with each family’s individual needs and family recreation opportunities to help acclimate the family to their new home.
  • 2010
    Due to the extreme need of secure housing for homeless women and children in Ashtabula, Ohio, a group of concerned citizens provide funds for Beatitude House to open a site in Ashtabula. St. Joseph’s school was renovated to house ten families. Beatitude House announced the opening of A House of Blessing Ashtabula.
  • 2011
    Beatitude House receives a grant to expand its Permanent Supportive Housing program. The program doubles in size to serve 25 families.
  • 2012
    A House of Blessing Ashtabula opens, serving 10 homeless families through its transitional housing program. Four Permanent Supportive apartments are added in Girard. Beatitude House sponsors these in collaboration with Humility of Mary Housing in Girard.
  • 2017
    Beatitude House is reorganized to provide maximum services to our families. A Support Services Director, Property Manager, Site Administrators and Program Support Assistants are added to streamline workflow and improve agency efficiency.
  • The transitional housing program in Youngstown moves to permanent supportive housing. This allows families to live at Beatitude House longer and provides more opportunity for personal growth. Case management is still offered for all clients as well as additional support services and job skills training.
  • The Sister Jerome Scholars program becomes the Ursuline Sisters Scholars Program and is now operated by Beatitude House.
  • 2018
    Beatitude House and Someplace Safe collaborate to meet the need for emergency housing for women and children in Trumbull County when Someplace Safe purchases the Warren location.
  • The Ursuline Sisters Scholars program expands to meet the needs of low-income students. Focus is placed on Student Parents, as they are most likely to dropout due to demands on their time. Expansion is planned for Trumbull and Ashtabula counties.
  • English Language Learners becomes Immigrant Outreach as the program expands to not only offer English language classes, but tutoring for both adults and their children, and family enrichment activities. Expansion is planned for Trumbull and Ashtabula counties.

Career Opportunities

At Beatitude House, it’s our mission to make a difference in the lives of others. We’re always seeking compassionate and dedicated people with a heart for helping individuals in need. Please check back for new job postings.

TITLE: Support Service Coordinator

PROGRAM: Housing Program

CLASS: Full-Time, Exempt

The Support Service Coordinator oversees the provision of supportive services for Beatitude House. This includes all emergency, Transitional, and Permanent Supportive Housing programs in Mahoning, Trumbull, and Ashtabula counties. Furthermore, the Support Service Coordinator promotes the longevity of the programs and is responsible for providing supervision to support staff members, including, but not limited to, all Program Support Assistants and Support Specialists. The Support Service Coordinator provides opportunities for professional growth and development of the staff while demonstrating the charism, dedication, and professionalism that is associated with Beatitude House & Ursuline Sisters Mission.

Support Service Coordinator – Job Description

If interested, please send resumes to info@beatitudehouse.com with attention to the Director of Beatitude House. Thank you.