In 2012 a small group of people representing a diverse group of churches and ministries in Xenia met to discuss the need for a central place where people who were homeless, or struggling with addiction or poverty related challenges could come for help.  We prayed that night for a way (and a place) to collaborate and be the hands and feet of Christ in our community.  Four days later, a building was offered to us and the Jeremiah Tree was born.  Hundreds of families were connected to programs and agencies, and through our partnerships, found a place to call home.  We provided some food, utility assistance, assistance getting birth certificates, clothing, transportation, medication, and housing.  We connected some clients to addiction and mental health services, medical care, government programs, job opportunities, and legal assistance.   At the same time, we offered them compassion and friendship, prayed with them, cried with them, and told them about the God who loves them just as they are.  In the process, our own lives have been radically changed as we have seen God change the hearts and lives of people who had lost hope.

In February of 2016 we opened the TreeHouse, our residential discipleship program for men wanting out of the trap of addiction.  Over the next two years, we witnessed God at work in the lives of these men, and we also watched as the opioid epidemic continued taking a toll on our community around us.  In 2018, with the opening of Bridges of Hope’s ministry to the homeless, the board of directors made a decision to focus the Jeremiah Tree’s ministry solely on providing a full-time, life-intensive experience that points men trapped in addiction to the transformational power of Christ.