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The Home for Homeless Women, founded in 1893 on Carey Avenue.
Fred Adams/The Times Leader
Left to right, John Gager, vice president of Home for Homeless Women, Drew Durako, executive director of the Heritage House, William Starr, treasurer of Home for Homeless Women, in activity room at the Heritage House.
Fred Adams photos/The Times Leader
William Starr looks over the original Articles of Incorporation from 1894 in his office at Heritage House.
WILKES-BARRE – Founded in 1893, the Home for Homeless Women on Carey Avenue provided housing for elderly women of limited means for nearly 80 years.
Though the building is no longer standing, the spirit of the organization lives on through its foundation, which subsidizes seven women living at the Heritage House on East Northampton Street in Wilkes-Barre.
It was the first facility of its kind in Wyoming Valley and was dedicated to women older than 65 who had nowhere else to turn.
A small endowment and some trust accounts allow the foundation to cover living expenses for the women for the remainder of their lives. All expenses – housing and food – are paid for through sponsorships, said foundation treasurer Bill Starr.
He’s proud of the service the foundation continues to offer, which gives families the peace of mind that their loved ones are receiving proper care.
“I feel we make those few people have a happier life,” he said.
Four former board members will be honored Thursday during a program at Heritage House. They include emeritus board members Lou Conyngham, Margaret R. Spencer, Kathryn Kramer and the late Edmund H. Poggi Jr.
All women who were admitted to the Home for Homeless Women underwent an application process that continues today. Acceptance is based on a review of their income and the income of their children.
When the Home for Homeless Women was first established, the clients signed a contract agreeing to turn over all their belongings and any future possessions to the home. These assets helped provide continuing care for the women.
But such a contract is now illegal, Starr said.
The foundation is Wilkes-Barre’s best-kept secret, he said. But that also hampers efforts to raise money and grow the endowment.
“We are limited in the amount of women we can subsidize because of the amount of the money,” Starr said. “We will hopefully receive donations from the community or bequests that go into that endowment.
The first Home for Homeless Women was located inside a rented property on South Main Street, but in the fall of 1894 the women moved into a home built on property donated by Andrew Derr. It cost $15,000 to construct the house at 450 Carey Ave. in 1894. The home had a capacity to care for 34 women with one matron overseeing the property.
When the flood of 1972 hit the Wyoming Valley, the first floor of the Carey Avenue property was under 8 feet of water. The house could not be repaired.
Under the direction of then-administrator Louise Williams, some of the 38 residents were relocated to the Lutheran Home in Hazleton. Others were moved to a private home until a new facility could be constructed.
Although the Home for Homeless Women was historically run by females, men began serving on the board of directors after the flood. The men helped coordinate the planning and financing of the new building, Heritage House, which opened in 1977, said Starr, who serves as the chief financial officer for Heritage House.
In November 1977, 13 women moved into the new facility. Heritage House now serves 126 residents by offering independent living in on-site apartments, licensed skilled nursing and licensed personal care.
The foundation owns burial plots in a Hanover Township cemetery. So if someone passes away without a plot, the foundation provides a proper burial, Starr said.
Homeless Women board members to be honored
Four former board members will be honored at 4 p.m. on Thursday during a program at Heritage House. Those honorees are emeritus board members Lou Conyngham, Margaret R. Spencer, Kathryn Kramer and the late Edmund H. Poggi Jr.