Most social model comfort care homes in New York State, including Gateway House, are two-bed homes—designed to serve individuals during the final three months of life, when a loved one needs a home the most. During this time, quality of life may be declining and worries often increase. Our goal is to provide as much dignity, peace, comfort, and quality as possible in those final days.

Because we are a two-bed home, we often receive more inquiries from families seeking guidance, support, or resources than we can accommodate directly. To help bridge that gap, we’ve begun expanding our outreach efforts to better serve our wider community. This includes connecting with families of past residents who may still have questions or need support.

By doing so, we hope to extend our mission beyond the walls of Gateway House and continue to offer compassion, guidance, and reassurance when it’s needed most.

We have submitted two grant proposals to help make this vision a reality. While we await news on those applications, we’re moving forward with the hope that seed funding from partners like you can help us begin.

The program already has a proposed budget and a clear description—what we need now is the right person and the funds to launch. We’re seeking a part-time individual with skills in database management, volunteer engagement, website oversight, marketing, and PR. It may sound like we’re looking for a mythical unicorn—but we believe that person is out there.

With the right individual in place, Gateway House will be better equipped to offer monthly Lunch & Learns, Coffee & Questions sessions, collaborate with experts for half-day educational events, and increase our presence both locally and online. These initiatives will serve our broader community by providing reliable, compassionate information about end-of-life care—something we all must face, either personally or with a loved one.

As we expand these efforts, we aim not only to grow our donor base but also to strengthen our role as a trusted resource within the community.

With the support of just four donors committing $10,000 each (or $833 per month), we can fully fund this part-time position for the next 12 months. By that time, we expect to hear back on the grant proposals we’ve submitted—funding that could allow us to expand the role to full-time, invest in a full website overhaul, and upgrade essential hardware, software, and file retention systems.

These enhancements will position Gateway House of Peace to serve more people, more effectively, well into the next decade and beyond.

If you're interested in partnering with us to bring this vision to life, please contact me directly. I’d love to talk with you about this exciting opportunity to make a lasting impact in our community.

Maggie Hasslacher,

Executive Director