Greg Anderson introduced Pam Langseth, the leader of the Open Hands Foundation, which is being sponsored by the Westwood Community Church in Chanhassen. The foundation exits to meet the critical needs of vulnerable children in our community. Pam shared her experiences finding homeless teens in the process of “couch-hopping” after losing their shelter due to a variety of circumstances, but mostly – family problems. There is no emergency housing west of Minneapolis, and there are usually 3 or 4 students from every high school that need help in figuring out their options, other than turning to destructive behavior or crime. The goal of the Westwood church and Open Hands Foundation is to fund a safe and stable housing solution, with dedicated staff, counseling and other services ready to meet needs identified by police, schools and community organizations. The Foundation plans to succeed by building a partnership with The Bridge For Youth to provide professional management, using a house donated by Westwood, and counting on the community’s financial support in attaining a $300,000 fund to operate for its first year.
Pam can be contacted at 612-207-4674, and email [email protected] Chaz Nichols is the contact for Westwood’s Outreach Ministry, 952-224-7464 and [email protected]
