Christine Matusik-Plas ’87 knows the value of being a great listener. Working in homeless and social service agencies since graduating from Wittenberg, she has been listening to people for years in the hopes of improving lives. Now as the director of FAITH House, she is.

Open since May 2002, FAITH House, located in Lorain, Ohio, is named for Families in Transitional Housing. Transitional housing, unlike a homeless shelter, allows families that may not be ready for permanent housing, to stay for up to two full years.

The house currently has 28 beds and is home to female-headed single-parent families.

Some homeless people stay homeless because they have obstacles, such as a chemical dependency, poor mental health or a criminal record,” Matusik-Plas said.

These people need help getting over these obstacles, and transitional housing is more than helpful, she added.

FAITH House not only provides for the families’ immediate needs, but it also assists them in their quest to move forward. The goals at FAITH House are to step back, observe the problem residents are facing, and develop a plan that will help the residents resolve them, Matusik-Plas explained.

As director, Matusik-Plas handles a number of tasks ranging from painting rooms with community volunteers and talking directly to residents about problems to making sure that the children in the house are properly immunized. 

“The worst thing a social worker can do is to make an individual or family dependent on the social worker; we don’t do that,” Matusik-Plas said. The time spent at FAITH house, along with group counseling sessions and therapy, is used to remove stumbling blocks and to encourage independence so that personal goals may be achieved.

Although Matusik-Plas works part-time at FAITH House, in order to have time for her own family, she believes in the dreams of other people. 

The best part of social work “is seeing people reach goals,” she said. “Life doesn’t just happen to you; you have the ability to make things happen.” — Ashley Ferguson