March 6 is an important date in Huckleberry House history.
- On March 6, 1970, Huckleberry House was established as a shelter for runaway youth in Columbus, Ohio.
- On March 6, 2020, Huckleberry House purchased the Kenmore Square apartments for Transitional Housing.
This year, as we celebrate Huckleberry House Day for the very first time, we invite you to:
- Learn a bit more about our history,
- Get to know some of the people who helped make Huckleberry House what it is today, and,
- Help us establish a “professional development” fund that will provide future learning opportunities for our incredible and hard-working staff.
Huckleberry House Day allows us to honor all of the people who helped make the organization what it is today, and who are working now and in the future in support of our mission: With hope, we shelter, support, and guide youth navigating challenges.
Come back to this blog often for new information. We also invite you to support Huckleberry House Day by making a weekly or monthly contribution of $6; or, a one-time contribution in any $6 incremement on our online donation page, or mail a check to: Huckleberry House, attn: Carol Argiro, 1421 Hamlet Street, Columbus, OH 43201. Special thanks for Bill and Shirley Carpenter for making a contribution (of a $6 increment) to seed the Professional Development Fund while supporting our 2024 Huckleberry House Day activities.
Madeleine Knill
Madeleine Knill (Maddy) was with Huckleberry House from 1978 until 1993 – 15 years! Maddy’s title was Administrative Assistant and she handled all fiscal aspects of running the organization. For her first few years, her office was in the Crisis Shelter on what was once the summer kitchen of the house. Later, she moved to the third floor, climbing many, many stairs. Maddy states, “No one was more impressed by new position at Huckleberry House than my 4-year old nephew – he thought I was working for Huckleberry Hound!”
What were the urgent issues around youth crisis and homelessness during your tenure at Huckleberry House?
In the beginning years of Huckleberry House, we focused on crisis intervention/housing and after care counseling. As we grew, we added Transitional Living and Youth Outreach Programs.
What are you doing now?
Since retiring from The American Red Cross in 2017, I have (and continue to have) a part-time accounting position with Community Shares of Mid-Ohio.
Point of fact.
Huckleberry House is named after an organization of the same name in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood in San Francisco, which opened in 1969 during the Summer of Love as the first shelter for runaway youth in the United States.
On March 6, please consider a recurring monthly contribution of $6 or more; or a gift of any amount in a $6 increment to help us celebrate Huckleberry House Day and to seed a Professional Development Fund for our staff.
Steven Moore
Steven Moore worked on the third floor of Huckleberry House beginning in 1994 and before leaving in 1997 had moved his office into the Carriage House. Steven was the Grants Administrator for the organization. Today, Steven is the Chief of Staff of The Columbus Foundation.
Can you share one funny or inspiring story that you remember.
Lots of funny stories and deep relationships. I worked when Miss Francis made meals for the house and looked after folks. My other favorite moments were working with Donna Jordan.
What were the urgent issues around youth crisis and homelessness during your tenure at Huckleberry House?
The Transitional Living Program was new when I started working at Huck House. That was a pressing issue as the Community Shelter Board was just ten years old and still developing. But the idea of “runways” had already shifted and the promise of family reconciliation wasn’t always an option.
Point of fact.
Huckleberry House’s first home was in the basement of Indianola United Methodist Church, on the Corner of 17th Ave. and Summit Street. This building is no longer there and has been replaced by University housing.
On March 6, please consider a recurring monthly contribution of $6 or more; or a gift of any amount in a $6 increment to help us celebrate Huckleberry House Day and to seed a Professional Development Fund for our staff.
Thank you in advance for your support of Huckleberry House.
David Small
Celebrate Huckleberry House Day, March 6, 2024!
Where are they now?
David Small worked at Huckleberry House for eight years, beginning in 1978. His first position was “aftercare counselor.” He then became the program coordinator (clinical and operations, supervisor) for the Crisis Shelter and aftercare programs until 1985. During those years, the entire program operated within the confines of “the mansion.” “Getting to the streets, beyond the neighborhood was a dream,” states Small. He goes on:
An overwhelming number presented right at the front door. An emancipation program with a residential option and wrap-around supports: Unimaginable. The “carriage house“ had a rooming option for house managers. For the first year, I worked in the office at the top of the stairs on the right, next to the young men’s dormitory. The remainder of the time I spent in the office immediately to the right as you enter the home. From there I watched thousands of young people, entering and leaving, each receiving the warm welcome they craved, and leaving, regardless of outcome, having been truly seen and well-regarded. Sometimes a first for them, I’m sure. I have such memories of counselors and youth, floating in and out that room for a moment of comfort, respite, and sometimes tough feedback, which they usually managed to give to themselves in the course of the conversation.
Can you share one funny or inspiring story that you remember.
From the back window of my office, I had a view to the parking lot. There, frustrated parents not ready to participate in the program during a period of crisis would often be greeted car-side by one of our counselors, in the course of “picking up” their child. One counselor spent more time there than in her office, on Sundays. We affectionately named her the “Toot and tell counselor.” She knew that the art of engagement was meeting people where they are at, literally.
Coming to the agency for the first time. I was in the throes of “heading west” to attend a graduate school. I couldn’t quite shake the feeling of being more interested in “the territory” more than “the map.” Seeing an ad in the newspaper, I came in to fill out an application for the role of crisis counselor. That’s how we did it in those days. I left knowing that I had found my territory; I belonged. Days later I received the proverbial “sorry no” letter. Not even an interview! So much for “knowing.“ I did finally learn that I was being considered for a new position. As the new aftercare counselor, I had the honor of taking on Huckleberry House’s first steps beyond crisis stabilization. And I always felt at home.
Finally, about 10 years ago I was contacted via Facebook by a man now in his 30s and living out of state. He said that when he was 15, he came to Huckleberry house “in a bad way.“ I was not his counselor, but he remembered vividly a conversation that he, his counselor and I had in the hallway. Without specifics, he simply wanted to reach out and say thanks. Takes me back to one of my favorite Huckleberry House learnings: You never know when you’re making a memory.
What were the urgent issues around youth crisis and homelessness during your tenure at Huckleberry House?
Regarding issues of the day, I’m not sure they are much different today. Surely more complex in this complex world. But also a world that recognizes the level of violence and trauma that happen in families. And Huckleberry House surely provides a more robust response. Across the decades Huckleberry House has firmly held strong to the belief that, given the proper support and resources, people can, and do change and grow. And also faces the same challenge of too few resources in the face of the overwhelming needs of youth in crisis and beyond. After all, children make bad advocates. They are poor and they don’t vote. Thank you for continuing to give them a voice.
Today, David is happily retired with his wife of 40 years, living on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Point of fact.
Huckleberry House moved to the Hamlet Street house in Weinland Park in 1976. Sometimes called the Castle House, the single-family dwelling was built by Felix A. Jacobs between 1905 & 1910 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
On March 6, please consider a recurring monthly contribution of $6 or more; or a gift of any amount in a $6 increment to help us celebrate Huckleberry House Day and to seed a Professional Development Fund for our staff.
Lara Palay
Where are they now?
Celebrate Huckleberry House Day, March 6, 2024!
Lara Palay began her career at Huckleberry House in 1988 as a House Manager in the Teen Crisis Shelter, and stayed in various roles until 1998. She then returned in 2003 to run the Teen Crisis Shelter, and stayed until 2009 – a total of 16 years.
What role(s) did you have?
Lots! Here’s what I can remember:
- House Manager
- Transitional Living specialist (founding team, or as I prefer to call it, “original band line-up”)
- Community Support Professional
- Volunteer and Training Coordinator
- Crisis program director
- Aftercare program director
Where did you physically work?
Um, mostly inside, but sometimes outside, usually arguing with drug dealers that they couldn’t come inside. My parents were very happy about this.
Can you share one funny or inspiring story that you remember?
Very, very many, but one that sticks out is when a friend of mine (who will remain anonymous to protect the guilty) made an expensive mistake and fully expected to be fired for it. Doug McCord surprised him by saying, “I’m not going to fire you-I just invested $X dollars to make sure you won’t ever make that mistake again”. It was a leadership lesson I’ve remembered ever since.
What were the urgent issues around youth crisis and homelessness during your tenure at Huckleberry House?
I think that there are probably fewer true “runaways” today, perhaps due to an increased awareness of the dangers of doing this, and the ability to communicate with phones to find friends to crash with, etc. But the larger issues of poverty, racism, oppression, mental health issues and parents struggling with their own burdens have not changed.
What are you doing now?
I’ve been a psychotherapist in private practice for over 25 years. I worked as a liaison between the Ohio Department of Mental Health (at the time) and the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities. I co-founded a small policy think tank, and currently am a founding partner of a consulting firm for human services, specializing in trauma and other mental health issues. I am a nationally recognized speaker for mental health, trauma, professional burnout, disabilities, and grief and loss. I published a book about trauma and developmental disabilities in 2021, The Way Through, through NADD Press, and much of what I learned at Huckleberry House can be found in there. My next book, The Sum of Light, will be published by NADD Press in 2025.
Point of fact.
The Teen Crisis Shelter sits in the heart of the Weinland Park community adjacent to the University District. In the 60’s and 70’s, the neighborhood was in decline and the Short North Posse, the largest and most violent gang Columbus had every see, moved in and wreaked havoc in the neighborhood for more than 25 years. Huckleberry House stood as a safe space for young people, even during this time of turmoil.
On March 6, please consider a recurring monthly contribution of $6 or more; or a gift of any amount in a $6 increment to help us celebrate Huckleberry House Day and to seed a Professional Development Fund for our staff.
Barbara Fant
Where are they now?
Barbara Fant worked at Huckeberry House in the Teen Crisis Shelter as a Crisis Intervention Specialist in 2010. Fant spent years as an artist teaching art as a form of healing in youth and adult incarceration spaces. Currently, she is the Program Director for Homeboy Art Academy of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, CA, the nation’s largest gang-intervention and reentry program.
Can you share one funny or inspiring story that you remember.
I definitely remember spending time with the young people, getting them to have conversations with me through preparing meals, helping with homework, and playing Guitar Hero. It was always challenging to see young people you know come through the doors, especially when you actually know their parents. However, I always also found it to be such a blessing to be able to wrap my arms and heart around young people that I knew and truly being the village. Being able to then later run into those young people outside of that space, knowing that they had decided to cope differently, make different decisions in their lives, and become stable was also something so inspiring to witness and experience.
What were the urgent issues around youth crisis and homelessness during your tenure at Huckleberry House?
I saw several young people come through the doors who had been in and out of both the foster care system and youth incarceration spaces. I know that it was challenging for young people who were living in group homes. Many of them feared for their safety, so they ended up on the streets and came to us. I also remember working with young people who were awaiting transitional living; teen mothers who were struggling with finding stable housing. I know that mental health and drugs were also issues around youth crisis and homelessness. Additionally, I remember being trained to be on alert for human trafficking. We saw several youth who we believed were experiencing this during my time there. It was heartbreaking.
Point of fact.
Huckleberry House launched the Transitional Living Program in 1990, expanding services to young people, ages 18-24.
On March 6, please consider a recurring monthly contribution of $6 or more; or a gift of any amount in a $6 increment to help us celebrate Huckleberry House Day and to seed a Professional Development Fund for our staff.
Becky Westerfelt
Celebrate Huckleberry House Day, March 6, 2024!
Where are they now?
Becky Westerfelt was the Executive Director of Huckleberry House from 2002 – 202o. Becky says of her time at Huckleberry House, “One of the things I loved about working at Huckleberry House was that there was a commitment to the why of our work and not just the what. That meant that our practice reflected both our values and mission in a seamless way. Many organizations talk about being client-centered, but at Huckleberry House, it is such a foundational value that it hardly needed to be discussed. I think that allowed us to be creative in how we worked with people. I think about watching one of our therapists walking down the alley to find a client who skipped his session; or the worker who talked to me in the parking lot (I was trying to go home) to ask me to find funding for a parent mentor in the Transitional Living Program; or the Board members who supported the idea that our relatively small organization could buy an apartment complex to we could stabilize our housing programs. These are all examples of an organization that doesn’t just see the problems in front of us but sees potential for imaginative solutions. As a social worker and the Executive Director, I found my time at HH to be a place that brought out the best in me and my practice.”
What were the urgent issues around youth crisis and homelessness during your tenure at Huckleberry House?
While I was at Huckleberry House, we spent a lot of time connecting the dots between the youth-serving and homelessness systems. Policy makers and funders love to promote collaborations, but rarely consider how those collaborations require change for everyone involved. It is not enough to say that the community’s homeless response should include services for youth. And it is not enough to assume that all homeless youth are cared for in the child welfare system. For 50 years Huckleberry House has had a foot in both worlds and has insight that is critical for both sides. While I saw progress during my time at Huckleberry House, as a community we still expect youth and young adults to fit a system designed for adults, and we still only think of children when we design services to protect and care for young people.
What are you doing now?
I’m retired so I just do what I want. I spend a lot of time with friends and family which feeds my soul. I like this quiet time in my life.
Point of fact.
On March 6, 2020, Huckleberry House purchased the Kenmore Square apartment complex, expanding total Transitional Living units to 73; later that same year, Huckleberry House began providing services for another 40 Permanent Supportive housing units, made up of 18-24 year olds, at Marsh Brooke Place.
On March 6, please consider a recurring monthly contribution of $6 or more; or a gift of any amount in a $6 increment to help us celebrate Huckleberry House Day and to seed a Professional Development Fund for our staff.
