Husband and wife open new Cape Girardeau homeless shelter

They are heart-wrenching and largely untold, but Carey and Dorothy Wilson know the stories well: the unexpected pink slips, the maddening eviction notices and the inescapable nightmare of long stretches of life on the streets.

The stories the Wilsons heard from the homeless were so moving that they moved into action, opening a shelter in Cape Girardeau with the hopes of providing the homeless a fresh start.

The New Beginning House of Refuge opened its doors a few weeks ago at 1104 William St. The Wilsons are the leaders -- she's the pastor, he's a bishop -- in the church next door that funds the shelter, the Apostolic Pentecostal New Beginnings Church of Deliverance, which is made up of 20 adult members and their children.

The New Beginnings House of Refuge is operated by Dorothy and Carey Wilson with New Beginnings Church of Deliverance in Cape Girardeau. (Fred Lynch)

"I don't know if the homeless problem is getting worse," Carey Wilson said. "We've had people coming to the church every day for years, so we know they're out there. We hear from them every day, and we had to do something about it."

Eight people are already pushing the shelter to capacity. New Beginning's opening brings the total number of homeless shelters in the Cape Girardeau-Jackson area to four, with another in the works.

Church donations pay the monthly note on the $37,000 house, as well as food and utilities. The two-story, five-bedroom shelter is badly in need of repair and has a lengthy list of needs, including baseboard heaters, breaker boxes, beds and, perhaps most important, more volunteers to help with the work.

There aren't exact numbers for how great the problem is locally, or nationally. In a recent approximation, USA Today estimated 1.6 million people nationwide recently used transitional housing or emergency shelters. Of these people, about one-third are members of households with children, a 9 percent increase since 2007.

New Beginnings is already seeing regular referrals from hospitals and the Salvation Army.

"It's a daily thing for us," said Tina Rodgers, a case manager at the Cape Girardeau Salvation Army. "Here lately, it's been a lot. We get 15 or so requests a week, so we're very glad that New Beginnings is here."

The homeless at New Beginnings said Monday that they were grateful beyond words that they'd found a roof over their heads until they could get back on their feet.

"People think that the homeless are all drug addicts or alcoholics, but we're not," said Kristen Seabaugh, who has been homeless since she lost her job at NARS almost a year ago.

Seabaugh said she'd likely still be living in her car if it wasn't for New Beginnings. She's been there almost a week and she's been putting in employment applications all over town.

"These are very caring people," Seabaugh said of the Wilsons. "They don't judge. They're here to help."

Fergie Grant is staying at New Beginnings with her 6-year-old daughter, Katie. Grant is working at an area restaurant, but she worries about what being homeless will do to her daughter.

"Your parents are supposed to be strong," Grant said, as Katie sat on her lap and twirled her short, blond locks. "They're supposed to be stable. This is not being stable. Hopefully, we'll just stay here long enough until I can save up some money and get our own place."

For her part, Katie seems to be doing her best to reassure her mom.

"I think it's nice here," she said.

smoyers@semissourian.com

Pertinent address:

1104 William St., Cape Girardeau, MO