SANDPOINT — Providing housing to community members who may not have a place to stay is one of the greatest opportunities local nonprofit Bridge Haven, formerly Bonner Homeless Transitions, can offer, according to the program's administration.  

Serving the community in this capacity has allowed the nonprofit to operate since 1991, following the mission of ending homelessness through saving one person, one family and one life at a time.  

On Wednesday, the nonprofit announced it could further that mission, thanks to the donation from the Kinderhaven Foundation Board of the North Location to Bridge Haven.  

“We are truly overwhelmed with gratitude for the Kinderhaven Foundation Board of Directors and the incredible gift they have entrusted to Bridge Haven," said Rebekah Little, executive director of Bridge Haven. "There are moments in nonprofit work when you are reminded just how extraordinary the people in our community really are. This is one of those moments. The foundation's generosity is not just changing what is possible for our organization; it is changing what is possible for the families who come to us looking for safety, stability, and a chance to begin again." 

Now, Bridge Haven invites the community to tour the house, located at 907 Spruce St., to learn more about how the facility will be used to fight homelessness in the area.  

The open house will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and again from 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 2. Community members, nonprofit organizations and faith-based partners are all invited to tour the location.  

“It is an invitation to see what hope looks like, to better understand the challenges facing vulnerable families in Bonner County, and to discover how each of us can play a part in creating meaningful, lasting change,” Little said. 

Community members can be given a tour of the building while learning about the role Bridge Haven plays in the community, working alongside other local nonprofits, service providers, churches and volunteer programs to create transitional housing.  

Bridge Haven provides up to 24 months of structured, drug- and alcohol-free transitional housing for single women, mothers with children, single fathers with children, and families experiencing homelessness.  

Little said the donation wasn’t just a financial contribution, but a means to ultimately provide support back to the community, whether it be a safe place for someone to stay or a place where someone can be given resources to thrive while enduring hardships. Ultimately, Little said the donation gives back to Bonner County, providing a lasting impact on the community.