WPCNR MAIN STREET JOURNAL. By John F. Bailey. June 27, 2005: A supervisor working with the homeless women residents of Samaritan House at Grace Church told WPCNR today that they are anticipating the residents who number at least a dozen women and less than twenty ( the person would not give an exact number), will be moved out of the facility in the very near future,  (early July) reportedly to Pleasantville.

Samaritan House Is Currently Housed in the Grace Church Annex. Photo, WPCNR News Archive.

The women, according to the supervisor we spoke said the women have not been told where they are going.

WPNCR called Joe Rubin of Open Arms the other homeless shelter run by Grace Church Community Center to get details of the move, and is awaiting his return call.

Bruce Berg, of Cappelli Enterprises, said that the Cappelli organization is finishing their drawings of the renovations of the Grace Church annex, (where the Samaritan House residents are presently housed), and finalizing their construction agreement with Grace Church. Berg said he expected work to begin on the Grace Church annex by the end of this year. He described the work as replacing windows, replacing air conditioning, new bathroom construction, new "lifts,"  and described it as "layered". The construction originally proposed by Cappelli Enterprises in the interest of being a good neighbor, is the reason the Samaritan House residents need to be moved.

Two weeks ago, County Legislator Bill Ryan (who fought hard to keep Samaritan House open and serving the homeless) told WPCNR there were no plans to move the residents out of the shelter two weeks ago, when WPCNR brought up this issue. Ryan said that any funding the Department of Social Services budgeted for operation of Samaritan House would stop, unless Grace Church continued to use the monies to house the women who were residents of Samaritan House elsewhere for the same expense. Whether or not Grace Church would be required to return any difference in what they would pay another facility to house them (if less), is unclear, pending determination of where the Samaritan House residents are going, and what the arrangements are. Ryan said two weeks ago that another scenario would be he thought the residents would come under the care of the Department of Social Services, and funding would stop for Samaritan House.