Honor House: Seneca Falls group opens transitional housing for homeless female veterans | Lake Life

In January, the day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, Susan Scheuerman helped organize a women's march in Seneca Falls. In solidarity with the Women's March on Washington, Scheuerman hoped to publicly demonstrate the strength, power and courage of women in America. 

More than 10,000 women showed up. 

But that, Scheuerman said, was just the beginning. 

After the march, the organizers stayed together and formed a group — Women March in Seneca Falls — and they began to plan their next project: transitional housing for homeless female veterans. 

The mother of an Air Force veteran, Scheuerman had read a report in 2014 that explored the issues facing female veterans. It was called "Women Veterans: The Long Journey Home." 

"One of the issues was housing ... particularly for female veterans with children," Scheuerman said. "So with that in mind ... (Women March in Seneca Falls) decided to explore the issue and try to find housing in Seneca County." 

Scheuerman's search began in Rochester at a two-unit transitional home for female veterans with children. The home, called Priscilla House, had two two-bedroom apartments and became the ultimate inspiration for a unit in Seneca Falls — Women March in Seneca Falls just had to find the right one. 

"I persisted because persistence is what you do when you work in activism," Scheuerman said. 

This summer, that persistence paid off. 

In June, Scheuerman met with members of Habitat for Humanity and the Seneca County Veterans Services Agency, and on the steps of 312 Fall St., the three organizations shook hands on a home: Honor House.

The single-family home had been donated to Habitat for Humanity earlier this year after its owner, Honor "Annie" Calland, passed away. A member of Habitat for Humanity, Calland had been passionate about helping others in the community, volunteering with food pantries and other emergency services in the county.

"Honor was known by a lot of people in Seneca Falls as a very giving person, and somebody who we think would like this idea a lot," Scheuerman said. "So we decided that these three groups would partner to get this house ready for our female veterans with kids."

The first step is to raise funds to rehabilitate the home, which needs some "care and updating," Scheuerman said. Habitat for Humanity will work on the house with volunteers from the community while Women March in Seneca Falls collects donations for the project. Together, the groups hope to get the house ready before the snow falls. 

As for a family, Scheuerman said there will be a vetting process similar to the one at Priscilla House in Rochester. Female veterans interested in staying at Honor House will have to apply and the groups will then interview any eligible candidates with children. The home will serve as transitional housing, meaning a family can stay for up to 24 months. 

"'Homeless,' 'female' and 'veteran' are not three words you want to put together," she said. "We think every community in New York state should have at least one of these houses. 

"Our mission is now what it was then (during the march), and that's to uplift the status of women any way we can," Scheuerman added. "We're hoping (Honor House) sets an example for other communities."