Christ House

Description

The mission of Christ House is to provide comprehensive and compassionate health care to sick, homeless persons in the District of Columbia, and to assist them in addressing critical issues to help break the cycle of homelessness.

History

The Christ House journey toward what it is today began in 1974 when Allen and Janelle Goetcheus accepted an assignment to serve as hospital missionaries in Pakistan. While waiting for visas, Janelle, a physician, and Allen, a United Methodist minister, visited the Church of the Savior and some of its ministries in the District. By 1976, the Goetcheus’s had moved to Washington and helped to found their first of several health care ministries; 1977 saw the opening of Crossroad Health Ministry, Community of Hope was started in 1978, Columbia Road Health Services began in 1979, and a satellite clinic opened in 1981 at SOME (So Others Might Eat).

Each day during those years, Janelle walked past the abandoned building that is now the home of Christ House. Homeless people slept on the steps or snuck inside during cold weather. At the same time, Janelle became aware that hospitals would discharge the uninsured more quickly than other patients, meaning that homeless people had to recuperate from major illness or surgeries while living on the streets or in shelters. She and Allen “called” together five other members of the Church of the Saviour community to create a prayerful mission group that included Marja and David Hilfiker, Don and Ellen Martin, and Sister Marcella Jordan. Together, these seven receive credit for envisioning and creating Christ House.