Brethren Housing Association

Brethren Housing Association was founded in 1989 by two Church of the Brethren congregations that wanted to answer God's call to help the poor. The Association formed as a partnership of more churches working to help homeless and low-income families find hope and stability, and move toward self-sufficiency and permanent housing.

As of 2013, BHA owns nine properties, with sixteen apartments. Fourteen apartments are being used for our Transitions program and two are allotted for our low-income rental assistance program.

STAFF
Cassie Satterberg, Case Manager
Crystal Baxter, Executive Director
Marilyn Bellesfield, Case Manager
Micalagh Moritz,Volunteer Coordinator
Lakeyshia Crummel, Director of Development
Abbey King, Office Manager
Heather Cotignola-Pickens, Youth Mentoring Coordinator/Side By Side
Dennis Saylor, Property Manager

HOW YOU CAN HELP

~Financial Giving~
We are fully supported by charitable giving from the surrounding community. Visit our website to make a donation:

~Prayer~
As a Christian ministry, we depend on God for strength, wisdom, guidance and provision. Knowing that there are people praying is a real encouragement to us.

~Volunteering: Bagwashi Circles~
Bagwashi (bah-GWAH-shee) is an African word meaning "those who help one another", and is closely related to the word for "family". Bagwashi Circles is what we call someone's support system--a circle of relationships that provide friendship, support and accountability. Unfortunately, many of the families that come to BHA lack significant numbers of stable relationships, but trained Bagwashi volunteers serve as friends and mentors to our moms transitioning from homelessness to wholeness. Contact volunteer@ if you're interested in becoming Bagwashi volunteer or having a presentation on Bagwashi Circles at your church.

~Volunteering: Property Rehabilitation~
Many of the properties are formerly blighted homes, which we renovate and recondition into apartments for the homeless families we serve. We are constantly in need of volunteers to help maintain and repair existing properties, as well as assist with large-scale rehabilitation of newly purchased properties. Contact Dennis Saylor, Property Manager, at or dsaylor@ if you'd like to get involved in this way.

~Events~
We host several fundraiser events throughout the year, including a Golf Tournament, Bike Tour, and Celebration Banquet. Visit our Events page for more information: