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New Horizons Ministries
was begun in 1978 by a man named Don Ericson, who felt a calling
to serve the destitute on the streets of Seattle.
While living at
the Bread of Life Mission on Second Avenue, Ericson served without
salary as the interim Chaplain. He was also involved with Operation
Nightwatch, an interdenominational organization of volunteer ministers
who walk the city at night and provide a Christian presence on the
streets. Ericson wore a Roman collar and people called him Father
Don, though the exact details of his ordination are somewhat of
a mystery.
Through his passion to help
the homeless, Ericson was struck by the fact that there was nowhere
for youth to get services on the streets, and that adult shelters
were not a welcoming or safe place for them. He began to develop
a plan for a full-service ministry for street kids, which would
include provision for food, clothing, counseling, referral services,
and transitional housing. In October of 1978, Ericson registered
New Horizons Ministries with the American Ministerial Association.
And so New Horizons was born.
In September of 1980, New
Horizons moved into its first office space in the Columbia Building
at 1516 Second Avenue, with Operation Nightwatch donating the first
two months rent. The office was named the Dismas Center, after St.
Dismas, the traditional Catholic name of the thief who hung on a
cross next to Jesus. St. Dismas asked to be remembered in His Kingdom,
and Jesus promised him that he would be with Jesus that very day
in Paradise. This image of Christ’s mercy and compassion was central
to Ericson's philosophy and approach. Although the office was primarily
a place to keep files and organize the ministry, Ericson’s goal
was to eventually create a drop-in center for the kids.
In the early days of New
Horizons, most outreach took place at The Donut Hole on First Avenue
and Pike Street. Outreach teams met to pray and worship together
for an hour before going out, and then they would head to The Donut
Hole to look for youth. If they didn't see any youth there, they
would start walking the streets.
In 1981, Ericson convinced
the country music station KAYO to raise $13,000 to open a transition
house. Soon after, the Dismas Transition House opened in North Seattle.
The transition house was licensed to serve six youths at a time,
ages 11 to 17, and a young Christian couple served as house parents.
Unfortunately, due to a lack of finances, the house closed within
a year.
In the Fall of 1981, New
Horizons moved out of the office space on Second Avenue, because
the building was being renovated. We set up a new home in the basement
of Gethsemane Lutheran Church.
 During this same year, 1981,
Don Ericson left New Horizons Ministries and John Ogren became Executive
Director. Within a year, Ogren found space for a drop-in center
in an abandoned building at 1312 Second Avenue. The volunteer staff
loved the new building and so did the kids; somehow we overlooked
the rats, the leaky roof, and the other downfalls of being in an
abandoned building. The kids affectionately referred to the new
drop-in center as "the Dismal Center." We were in the
heart of the city, and the pulse of street life ran through the
center, through the alley behind the building and through the street
in front.
John Ogren lead New Horizons
for two years, until 1983 when Jamie Tillman took over as Executive
Director. Although Tillman was with New Horizons for only a short
time, she brought a new intensity to the spiritual aspect of our
ministry.
We had a strong presence
on the street, a solid faith in God’s provision, and an understanding
of the ministry for which New Horizons was created.
It wasn't until 1984, however,
when Pete Bylsma became Executive Director, that our legitimacy
as a youth service agency was fully recognized. At this point we
not only worked with street youth, but we also had the organizational
structure and the fiscal stability to support the level of case
management we wanted to provide. The greater stability within the
organization created in our volunteer and paid staff more confidence
and freedom to serve the kids.
In 1986, Rita Nussli became
Executive Director during a time of transition for New Horizons.
In September of 1986, we moved again, after having received an eviction
notice because the abandoned building on Second Avenue was going
to be demolished. This time we moved to office space in the Jones
Building on Third Avenue and Union. Unfortunately, the space was
cramped and poorly equipped, and we had to scale back the services
we were able to offer to the youth. The staff at the Pike Market
Senior Center graciously allowed us to serve meals to the kids in
Post Alley at the Pike Street Market.
Eventually, in April
1988, we rented and renovated a house at 1406 Summit Avenue on Capitol
Hill. The Summit House became the new home for New Horizons Ministries
and the new drop-in center for the youth we serve. The house remained
our home for nearly ten years.
In the summer of 1986, New
Horizons began researching and observing evening prostitution activity
on Aurora Avenue. Thus began the Mobile Outreach Program, reaching
out to women involved in prostitution. Mobile Outreach expanded
from Aurora to other known areas of prostitution in the city and
outlying areas. The Mobile Outreach volunteers developed a support
group for the young women, and planned activities for them and their
children. Because over 50% of the youth we serve are involved in
prostitution, the Mobile Outreach program merged with the existing
outreach program in 1997.
In August 1989, New Horizons
opened its second transitional housing program. It began as an 18-month
pilot program. The house was licensed to serve five men, ages 18
to 25. After only 2 ½ years, this program was forced to close,
as with the first transitional house, due to lack of funding.
Although the Summit House
had been home for so many years, we outgrew it and became weary
of paying rent. Soon God would bring us a home.
In 1998, after a year
of renovation and a capitol campaign for $1.4 million, New Horizons
moved into its own building at 2709 Third Avenue. We’d found our
permanent home. The building is four times larger than the house
on Summit, and our accessibility to the city and to the youth continues
to be constant. With the added space and a permanent location, we
were able to provide a Self-Care Program that allows the kids to
wash their clothes and take a good hot shower. We have much more
space for the clothing room and a beautiful, fully equipped industrial-
strength kitchen. There is a chapel that we use for prayer, discussion
groups, discipleship programs, and Street Church programs.
Today, our history continues
with our future. We have started mentorship programs, life
discovery classes, skill development programs, and our dreams for
the youth continue to grow. New Horizons Ministries has a rich and
inspiring history of God blessing the kids and the New Horizons
community in the process. God’s goodness to New Horizons continues
to be shown through your presence here. Please help us hold
onto our history by writing down your experiences with New Horizons,
the staff, and kids. We look forward to seeing God move in your
life and use you to bless the kids and the New Horizons Ministries
community.
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(206) 374-0866 
