The Samaritan House, located at 37 River St., is a partnership between the Ecumenical Council of Saranac Lake, a coalition of local churches, and Lakeside House, a human services organization that focuses on housing people with mental illness. The shelter has been open since February 2017.

“We have really good success with people finding work,” said Ernest Hough, manager of Samaritan House. “A lot of these people are working six days a week. Or two jobs.”

The house can house up to eight guests at a time, who arrive via referral from local clergy, the county Department of Social Services, law enforcement and the state prisons, among others. Hough said the split in residents has been 74 men and 26 women.

“We meet and identify needs,” Hough said.

Tyshaun Flowers, a temporary resident of Samaritan House, helps clean up Thursday. (Enterprise photo — Jesse Adcock)

Lakeside House staff interview new guests to ascertain what it is they need to get back on their feet, whether that’s assistance finding a job, an apartment or federal Housing and Urban Development funding.

Hough said guests have gone on to work at Aldi, Hannaford, Hotel Saranac, North Star Industries and local restaurants.

“The average is maybe I want to say a month-and-a-half,” Hough said of the time residents stay at the Samaritan House. “We’re quite proud of getting them out and going places.” The maximum stay at the shelter has been four months.

While Samaritan House is somewhat of an intersection in good faith — with the facilities managed by the Ecumenical Council and staffed by the Lakeside House — it is leased from the Children of the Resurrection, a local prayer group, for $400 per month. According to Ecumenical Council President Rich Loeber, this will soon change, as the Children of the Resurrection have chosen to donate the facility to the council.

Days start for residents at 9 a.m., after which they take time for chores, which included cleaning common areas and bathrooms. This is what current resident Tyshaun Flowers was up to.

Ernest Hough, manager of Samaritan House, poses in one of the extended-stay homeless shelter’s rooms in Saranac Lake Thursday. (Enterprise photo — Jesse Adcock)

“It’s a positive, clean environment,” Flowers said. “I feel thankful.”

Flowers said he left California four months ago to make his way to Saranac Lake, to be with family, but has since been dealing with homelessness. Since staying at Samaritan House, Flowers said he’s been applying for apartments and jobs, grateful that staff “pointed me in the right direction.”

“We would encourage the community to come in and see it,” said Sally Walrath, Lakeside House executive director. “We would like them to know they’re always welcome to stop in and see.”

She said that in the last year, Lakeside House staff struggled intermittently with residents over disciplinary issues, as guests tried to do things like smoke and drink in their rooms, as well as sneak other people into the house.

“Like a regular college dorm, you’d say,” Walrath said. “You want to be nice and be good to people, but also hold people accountable to their actions.”

She said these issues have been ironed out for the most part after meeting with Saranac Lake police to discuss strategies for keeping the house under control. In addition, a man moved into the attic whose job it is to watch the CCTV cameras in the common rooms and hallways.

According to Loeber, one-third of the Samaritan house’s funding comes from local churches, another third from individual donations, and the last from the organizations that support it. Whenever the house needs something, Hough says the request goes to the Ecumenical Council, which then puts the word out to the individual churches.

“I ask for towels and washcloths, and they’re still coming in,” Hough said.

“It makes it a total community venture,” Walrath said.

To volunteer or get involved with the Samaritan House, contact Hough at 518-354-8662. He is looking for a house bicycle for residents to use, since the last was stolen.

To make a donation, visit the Ecumenical Council’s website at http://slecumenical.weebly.com.