A few weeks ago, news broke about the St. Boniface Church in Manitowoc, and the plans to tear down the over 100-year-old church.
One of the first concerns on a lot of people’s minds was how this was going to affect The Haven Men’s Homeless Shelter that is located inside the St. Boniface School building.
We spoke with the Executive Director of The Haven, Michael Etheridge, who was touched by the community concern. He said that he wanted to ensure the public that “our relationship with the parish is strong, and that The Haven will stay in the St. Boniface School. It is only the church that is going to be razed.”
He also told SeehaferNews.com about the plans for the property. “The talks are actually dividing the property to purchase,” Michael explained. “I believe the rectory is going to be purchased by another organization for sober living, and our half of the property will be purchased by The Haven. We do have some room to expand and build on other services if we needed to.”
The Haven of Manitowoc County aims to help homeless men get back on their feet while providing community resources and an interfaith approach towards self-sufficiency.
Michael told us they have to turn people away from staying in the building due to lack of space, but there are plans in place to expand their 15 person limit up to 20 on July 1st.
