Faithful Servants ministry asks Cowlitz County for help adding transitional housing and funding

Faithful Servants Transitional Housing executive director Glenn Sensenbaugh told the Board of County Commissioners the faith‑based program needs more housing and financial support to expand services for men leaving incarceration or treatment.

Sensenbaugh said the program operates two houses in the community and reported a roughly 60 percent success rate in the last 18 months, meaning participants moved into their own apartments and returned to work and family life. He said about 40–60 percent of participants contribute housing dues once stabilized and that the ministry supports community needs with 300–400 hours of volunteer service per week, including move assistance for elderly residents and property repairs.

Sensenbaugh said the ministry previously ran a women’s house but closed it because of financial constraints and hopes to reopen a female program after expanding housing capacity for men. He described difficulty obtaining grants because the program is explicitly faith based and said the ministry needs housing stock, grant guidance and help locating resources. He provided operational details at the meeting: the program covers rent, utilities and basic supplies and said their large house has water bills of about $1,500 every two months.

Commissioners said county Human Services staff will schedule a workshop on available funds — including opioid and other targeted funds — and promised to invite the ministry to learn about grant options and local procurement. A commissioner noted the ministry had previously rented city‑owned houses in Kelso.

Sensenbaugh and other supporters in the audience described recent community work by Faithful Servants, including moving assistance and neighborhood cleanup, and asked the county for referrals to housing stock or financial resources rather than direct handouts. County staff said they would notify the ministry about the planned Human Services workshop.