Alpha House is a transitional shelter set up to assist men in getting back on their feet, find counseling, medical treatment, learn living skills, participate in bible study and sometimes helps with education


ALPHA HOUSE In 1998, Bill Webster woke up in the hospital with a major


head injury after an accident. “I was a businessman and after the accident, I got a good


glimpse of what was and wasn’t important. My love for the Lord drives me to do this. I became a believer Oct. 1, 1998,” Webster said. Webster runs the Alpha House, a Christian-based home-


less shelter for men. It is a transitional shelter set up to assist men in getting back on their feet, find counseling, medical treatment, learn living skills, participate in Bible study and sometimes helps with education. Webster housed one young man for eight months while he


finished high school. The man joined the Navy and has been a success story. While it may sound like Webster stumbled into the role, he


believes God led him there. Sixteen years ago, the Alpha House was in a condemned


building and on the verge of closing. Webster was a volunteer who led Bible study with the homeless men, when the former director asked Webster if he’d like to take it over. “I prayed about it and the next day come back and said I’d


take it over. I started with $7.14 in a checking account and a condemned building, lean starts. We had that building five years. The house across the street came up for sale and we were able to raise money to put a down payment on the house. KTLO did a radiothon and we raised $12,000 in four hours,” he said. Webster is not a volunteer; the Alpha House doesn’t have


16 Living Well i March/April 2018


volunteers, he said. Occasionally people will contact him and say they want to pitch in, but it doesn’t last long as most peo- ple can’t stomach the severity and depth of the issues that these men deal with. He has helped Vietnam vets with PTSD, drug addicts, men who have been abused as boys or adults, even a World War II vet who was held hostage and locked in a room while his wife stole his pension. “There is so much damage there. The full spectrum of


people and issues. I’ve had a few juveniles and all the way up to 87 years old. It’s not a quick fix, you can’t say you have two weeks and you have to get out. Some of these men have been addicted to drugs for eight years. It takes time and patience to do what we do,” he said. Before they enter the house, the men must pass a drug test


and Webster makes sure there are no warrants for their ar- rest. The shelter is funded by the private sector, churches and businesses. He has raised $1.2 million in the past 16 years and paid off the house. Right now, he limits the beds to eight because he wants to make sure the men there have individual attention they need. “It is a Godly house and we treat everyone with respect,”


Webster said. “We are here to make a difference in people’s lives who have been kicked to the curve or they have lost their way and need help finding a way back.” Want to help? Alpha House is always in need of donations. Call (870)


321-1355 or make donations online: http://www.alphahousesh- elter.org/


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