NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — What may look like a total loss could have been much worse, according to Angela Wittenberg.
"Well this is Hananiah House," said Wittenberg, the executive director of Hananiah House. "This is what's left of Hananiah House."
The home was destroyed in a fire Wednesday evening. It is believed the fire began outside before eventually engulfing the side of the home and roof in flames.
Wittenberg said, "Hananiah means graciousness of God." She said it's that graciousness that brought four women to live at the home and graciousness that kept them alive.
As she looked around the debris, Wittenberg said, "I think 'thank you God that they're ok'."
The Hananiah House is a re-entry program and transitional housing for formerly incarcerated women. "A lot of what we do is help them find a place that's stable, they feel safe and safe is hard to come by," said said Wittenberg. "In addition to housing we provide job help, training, transportation, medical assistance, getting to medical care set up."
But that stability went up in flames after the fire destroyed their home and most of their belongings.
Now the goal is to find a temporary rental home until repairs are complete - something that's much easier said than done.
Wittenberg said, "if you go online and look for rental houses the first thing they say is 'criminal background?' So guess what?"
The path to recovery is still uncertain. But even in the charred, damp debris Wittenberg finds hope.
"This is going to bring something good," she said. "There is going to be beauty from ashes out of this situation."
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. If you would like to help with recovery efforts, you can donate to a Hananiah House GoFundMe here.
