The Staples Family Center is a 35-bed emergency homeless shelter which is operated by The Salvation Army of Washtenaw County. The shelter operates and has dedicated staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Staples Family Center offers a safe, drug-free and alcohol-free environment. For the guests who stay there it is more than just a shelter, it is “home”. The atmosphere at Staples Family Center is like that of a caring family. The residents and House Staff work together to keep the house running smoothly by helping each other with meal preparations and daily chores. Together, they work toward “making a difference for life” in their own lives and those around them.
WHO can stay at the Staples Center?
Staples Family Center serves a wide cross-section of homeless people including single adults, married couples, and families with children. The residents also represent a wide range of occupations, education levels and past work environments. Each resident has a unique, personal story to tell which may include difficult periods and long histories of substance abuse, domestic violence, medical problems and/or other challenges in their lives. Our goal for their stay at Staples Family Center is to provide them opportunities for physical, spiritual, emotional and social growth, and to create an environment of encouragement and healing. We seek to minister to the whole person, believing that each of these areas needs to be addressed in order for the person to get beyond their current situation.
HOW LONG may a homeless person or family stay?
The length of an individual's stay at the Staples Family Center will be determined based on each individual's needs. Guests may receive free room and board, as well as individualized casework services. During this time they are working toward establishing greater personal self-sufficiency with the goal of being able to move into more permanent housing upon completion of the program. This involves not only establishing a steady income, saving money, and dealing with bad credit histories, but also addressing any other issues that may have sabotaged their efforts to stay in permanent housing in the past.
Staples Family Center News
VIDEO
A Staples Family Center Resident Tells Her Story See how The Staples Family Center changes people's lives and the difference that we can make as a result of supporting this great facility at The Festive Affair.
Operations Manager Tim Schroeder
Profiled in Priority! Magazine
Read the full article about how the Staples Family Center changed his life here.
UPDATE! One Family's Inspiring Story
We were all moved by Maria’s family story of hard work and hope at last year’s Festive Affair. Since then Maria graduated from WCC and is studying to become an RN while working at a Lansing hospital. Soon her eldest son will be attending WCC with an academic scholarship, and his younger siblings are also doing well as 4.0 students. Keep up the great work!
What Family Center Residents are saying...
“I’d never seen a place like this. I wish I’d found this place 30 years ago. This is an opportunity to get my life together. I don’t have to worry about a place to be or food...
Now I’m focusing on my health and I’m going to start volunteering at the VA. I can save up some money and get a place.”
This disabled Veteran who was living in his sister’s basement became increasingly isolated, depressed and unable to save money as his physical health deteriorated.
“It’s a safe and structured place to be. I have peace of mind so I can focus on what I need to do and no ones judging. If I hadn’t found Staples we’d be living in our car, going to McDonald's to wash up so we could go to school and work. It’s everything a shelter should be.”
This woman and her nine-year old son were living on minimum wage when their water pipes burst. After a few nights in a motel, with her money running out and the house still uninhabitable, she started looking for an alternative and found The Staples Family Center.
New Director Chris Levleit Follows Johnnie Bass
ANN ARBOR - We proudly introduce to you our new Director, Christina Levleit. Chris follows in the footsteps of our highly admired, longtime director, Johnnie Bass. Levleit reflects on the road that led her here:
“My first experience as a social worker was as a housing advocate in Ypsilanti. ...In the mid-eighties ... the only emergency housing available for families was a small shelter run by The Salvation Army called Arbor Haven. It eventually moved into a larger space to meet the overwhelming need and is now The Ken and Marianna Staples Family Center. I went on to receive my Masters in Social Work from the University of Michigan. I have worked in Detroit organizing neighborhood crime prevention programs. As a therapist in Jackson, I developed my clinical skills working with abused children and their families. From there I took on the role of clinical director supervising therapists, writing grants, and developing new programs. Today, I am blessed that my journey has led me back to social work and to The Salvation Army Staples Family Center. I am at home and fortunate to know that what we do at the Staples Family Center is making real differences in the lives of those we serve. It is truly God’s word in action.”
