Honoring the working woman who changed her life so many years ago Deb Foster is proving that home is where the heart is right here in the heart of Detroit, and now it’s expanded – Mitch Albom checks in with Deb four years after being featured in 2016.
Mitch Albom: Today we’re going to catch up with Deb Foster of Bethlehem house. You may recall that we first spoke with Deb in our fourth season when Bethlehem house was in its 16th year of providing housing for women like school teachers and nurses. And I’m proud to say that Bethlehem House entered into a new chapter. Bethlehem House has multiplied. There’s now a second Bethlehem House so tell us about that.
Deb Foster: My husband spotted it across the street. And we looked at it. And April, we bought it. August, we opened it up, and it’s been running ever since. And it’s been fun, as well as challenging. We picked up some speed back in June, and another company heard about us and they made a donation of $10,000. That’s just great.
Mitch: When people hear someone is homeless, they often confuse that with being hopeless.
Deb: Absolutely. Sometimes Mitch, they may lose their home because of the financial downturn. And once you lose a home, your credit goes down the drain, but you’re still working. So you can’t get an apartment. You can’t even apply for credit card or anything like that. So the women that come to us, they come from all walks of life. Some of them are school teachers, we’ve had registered nurses. I even had an attorney. These women come from everywhere. And with the pandemic being what it is right now. We’ve seen an uptick in homelessness. So we’re trying to accommodate as many as we can. Then the healing begins and they can keep going.
Mitch: Congratulations to all the good work that you’re doing for others.
Deb: Thank you Mitch, we will keep going.
