About Lazarus House Ministries

Lazarus House, a gospel-based ministry, first opened its doors in 1983 as a five bed emergency shelter for the homeless. As needs continued to grow, our services expanded in order to better serve the needs of our brothers and sisters and those of the community.

Lazarus House now provides a continuum of services to people who are in dire need of life's most basic necessities, and our mission is to see the "face of Jesus" in all people we have the privilege to serve.

We help to prevent homelessness by providing food orders from our food pantry for those who cannot afford to pay both the rent and buy food. If that fails, we provide shelter. All of our guests are assigned an advocate who will assist them with a tailored plan for reconstructing their lives in a way that will allow them to be active and productive members of the community.

We provide free medical and dental services. A pre-school room affords our guests the ability to keep appointments and interviews for jobs, housing and social services without having their children accompany them. It also enables them to focus on their needs and gives their children the opportunity to be just that-children. Our job-training program offers an extensive learning environment where English classes, life skills and job training skills are taught. After completion of their classroom studies, our students begin a seven-month paid work internship at our cleaning company.

Additionally, we provide a home for eight individuals and two families who are living with the AIDS virus. The people who participate in our program would be homeless if Lazarus House did not exist. Our residents do not come to us to die, but to live-so each one participates by either working, volunteering or attending classes whenever his or her health permits.

Along with the faithful generosity of many, our ministry helps sustain itself through our three thrift stores. These hubs of activity provide an incredible opportunity to strengthen the neighborhoods where they exist, provide for the needs of our shoppers and allow us to provide for those who have no other means of availing themselves of clothing, household items, and just as important, camaraderie.

Today, we serve over 8,000 people a month and are witness to many miracles. Our annual budget exceeds just over $2 million dollars and is funded primarily through the generosity of individuals, churches, corporations, foundations and social organizations who share our desire to provide people with a hand up, not simply a handout.

We are truly blessed and thankful for those people who have journeyed with us over the years and continue to help those who are poor, rise out of poverty with dignity and respect, in the name of God.