THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, February 9, 1996               TAG: 9602090439
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B2   EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: By DENISE WATSON, STAFF WRITER
                                             LENGTH: Medium:   78 lines

CORRECTION/CLARIFICATION: ***************************************************************** CLARIFICATION Save Our Shelter (SOS) is a grass-roots, volunteer-run campaign to raise money for Samaritan House homeless shelter. Many churches, organizations and individuals are involved in the campaign. A story and headline in Friday's MetroNews section highlighted only one church involved in this effort. Correction published , Saturday, February 10, 1996, p. A2 ***************************************************************** CHURCH ASKS VOLUNTEERS TO HELP SAMARITAN HOUSE SAVE SHELTERS

A Virginia Beach church is teaming up with local residents to raise $300,000 for a homeless shelter in jeopardy of losing some of its housing.

St. Nicholas Catholic Church members and volunteers will meet Monday evening to finalize the S.O.S. - Save Our Shelter - campaign to help Samaritan House, which will lose the leases on eight of its 10 facilities next year.

Samaritan House, which helps the homeless and those escaping domestic violence, leases the houses through a program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which offers the properties to nonprofit groups for $1 a year.

Budget cuts have chopped HUD's funding and the leases won't be renewed when they expire in the spring of 1997.

The federal government wants to sell the properties rather than act as a landlord, HUD officials have said.

Samaritan House needs to raise money to buy the properties.

``As a social ministry, we're constantly in contact with a continuum of homelessness,'' said Theresa Stanley, one of the church's campaign coordinators.

``We know we just can't afford to lose this housing. We just refuse to let HUD's changing their policy stop this.''

Each year, Samaritan House provides temporary housing to more than 600 people, 65 percent of whom are children under 10.

Since its start in 1984, more than 1,500 families have received shelter and transitional housing.

Over the past year, local shelters for battered women have seen an increase in clients seeking counseling and shelter. Samaritan House hasn't had a vacancy in five years.

``For every one person we help, we have to turn away nine,'' said Ellen Cospito-Ferber, executive director of Samaritan House.

``We need our shelters now more than ever.''

The month-long S.O.S. campaign officially starts Feb. 14, with volunteers going door-to-door and business-to-business, getting individuals to donate $1 to the shelter. Stanley expects hundreds to attend Monday's organizational meeting at Cox High school.

``In December, someone said, `If we could get everyone in Hampton Roads to contribute $1 we could do this,'' Stanley said. ``That's how we got the idea.''

The campaign's goal is $200,000 short of the necessary $500,000 because shelter officials are hoping the city of Virginia Beach will throw some money into the pot.

The city, however, hasn't made any promises.

``Each year we budget a portion of our funds for homeless activities,'' said Andrew Friedman, director of the Department of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation for Virginia Beach.

``We are aware of the needs of Samaritan House and intend to propose some funding to assist with its problem. The proposal is subject to review by city manager and City Council.''

But Stanley said the S.O.S campaign will continue year-round if necessary; a golf tournament/fund-raiser is already scheduled for June 19. ILLUSTRATION: MEETING

7:30 p.m. Monday at Cox High School in Virginia Beach. For more

information, call 430-2642.

by CNB