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ATLANTA – Standing outside the bright yellow building of Open House Ministries in Homestead, Fla., Wanda Ashworth has an unobstructed view of the community she serves. The barren cinder block buildings and small homes of a labor camp – all government subsidized housing – surround Open House Ministries on every side.

Located at the southern tip of the state and adjacent to the Everglades, Homestead is known as the “Gateway to the Keys” as vacationing tourists must travel through to reach the islands. But for immigrants, Homestead, despite being one of the poorest communities in the state, is often a gateway to opportunity.

“Many of the immigrant families in our community struggle financially, but their homes are filled with love and devotion for their children,” said Wanda Ashworth, Open House director and one of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s field personnel.

More than a dozen nationalities are represented in Homestead, but no matter where they have come from, many parents struggle to provide for their children. Ashworth has seen and heard the stories – like the mother who dug tortillas out of a trash can to feed her children. Many fathers find work in the fields, picking vegetables such as squash for 75 cents a bushel.

In a community where 43 percent of the children live below the national poverty line, Open House offers services, such as an emergency food pantry and thrift store, to address the physical needs of these families.

“Beyond physical assistance, Open House tries to be a kingdom place,” said Ashworth. “We want everybody in this community to have life and have it more abundantly. Not necessarily a life of prosperity, but a rich, fulfilling life. So we do a lot of community asset mapping, helping the neighborhood discover their passions and skills. We try to be a resource, a place where they can come to work together.”

As a joint ministry of the Fellowship and CBF of Florida, Open House began as a disaster relief effort in 1992 following Hurricane Andrew, which almost completely destroyed Homestead and nearby Florida City. But recognizing the ongoing needs of the community, Open House has continued as a long-term partnership with the community to help alleviate poverty. 

“We’ve made a space for God, and sometimes I think that’s what being the presence of Christ is about,” Ashworth said. “It’s not about going in with a solution or a program. The neighborhood has its own gifts and talents, and we just make a space for those to happen – that’s how you can be the presence of Christ.”

In addition to “La Tienda,” the thrift store, where each item sells for 25 cents, and food bank, Open House offers after school programs and bible studies for youth and children two days a week. Every summer, the center partners with missions teams from CBF partner churches to host eight weeks of summer camp.

Ashworth, a former music minister, earned a degree in social work from Gardner-Webb University in 2004 and then became director of Open House in 2004. She is one of only two full-time employees at the center.

“When I first came here a lot of wise people told me ‘just listen,’ and we were intentional about listening to the community,” Ashworth said. “The community is interested in their children and youth and taking back their neighborhood. They don’t want to have to go inside [early in the evening]. The attitude is very much ‘this is our neighborhood and we will take care of it.’”

To financially support the ministries of Open House, please give to the CBF Offering for Global Missions. To give, go to www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate. To learn about partnership opportunities with Open House, contact Chris Boltin at (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.