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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Women&#8217;s shelter Ruth&#8217;s Place showed off some sorely needed renovations at an open house Friday.</p><p>The upgrades include new flooring, 21 new beds and closets, a television, three leather couches, and a dressing area with a table and mirrors.</p><p>The shelter received a $50,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement Fund program. </p><p>&#8220;We were grateful, because (the shelter) was not in the best shape at all,&#8221; said program coordinator Crystal Williams. &#8220;It was a huge project.&#8221;</p><p>The shelter on North Pennsylvania Avenue is specifically for single homeless women age 18 and older and has the capacity to house 21 residents. Williams said the shelter receives both a mix of older and younger women. Ruth&#8217;s Place has a 30-day program for each resident. However, some are permitted to stay longer depending on their personal situation.</p><p>The shelter offers many services, including assistance with job searches, finding housing, signing up for state benefits, as well as counseling sessions for those suffering from mental health issues and trauma.</p><p>Ruth&#8217;s Place first opened in 2003 at First United Methodist Church in Wilkes-Barre. Bill Bolan, chair of the advisory board for Ruth&#8217;s Place, said the facility in the church was small with no services and was meant to be used as an overnight shelter.</p><p>&#8220;What happened was the First United Methodist Church ran into financial hard times and they needed people from the community to step up and see if the shelter could be saved,&#8221; he said. After some legwork, a permanent site for the shelter was established in 2009.</p><p>This is a cause close to Bolan&#8217;s heart as he has been doing volunteer work with homeless individuals since his college days.</p><p>&#8220;The result of all this is that 96 percent of the women who come through here leave with a safe place to go to,&#8221; he explained.</p><p>Thelma Marshall also serves on Ruth&#8217;s advisory board and is a donor as well. She has been involved with the organization for 15 years.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m thrilled that it&#8217;s here, because it&#8217;s something that the city needs and so many women have benefited from it,&#8221; she said. &#8220;They truly have.&#8221;</p><p>Marshall strongly believes there should also be a similar facility for men. &#8220;It&#8217;s unfortunate that there isn&#8217;t something just like this for the men, because they deserve it too,&#8221; she said. &#8220;They deserve a safe place.&#8221;</p><p>Ruth&#8217;s Place is hosting its annual walk Sunday, Oct. 1, from noon to 4 p.m. on Public Square in downtown Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s our 10th anniversary one, so we&#8217;re trying to make it as big as we can,&#8221; coordinator Williams said. The walk is the biggest fundraising event of the year for Ruth&#8217;s Place.</p><p>The money helps the shelter pay its rent, utilities, as well as for clothes, food, and toiletries for the residents. The event will include food, music, vendors, and raffles.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">The Ruth&#8217;s Place women&#8217;s shelter on North Pennsylvania Avenue, Wilkes-Barre, received 21 new beds as part of recent renovations covered by a $50,000 state grant. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_IMG_1768-2-.jpg</photo0><caption0>The Ruth&#8217;s Place women&#8217;s shelter on North Pennsylvania Avenue, Wilkes-Barre, received 21 new beds as part of recent renovations covered by a $50,000 state grant. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Kulsoom Khan</p><p>Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div>

Ruth’s Place showcases $50,000 in renovations