About Us

Webster House began operations April 1977. It originated in response to an increased number of homeless and runaway youth during the late sixties and early seventies. In 1973, Public Act 154 was passed which mandated the Department of Social Services (currently known as Department of Human Services) to develop a comprehensive plan for runaway and homeless youth services in Michigan.

In September or 1975, Muskegon County DHS was notified that they had been designated to receive the runaway services funds. It was decided to form a private nonprofit corporation for the sole purpose of subcontracting the runaway program from DHS. In 1977, a home in the Heritage Village section of town was leased for this Program. In February 1977, the move was made to 446 W. Webster Ave. in the city of Muskegon, and the home was given the name “Webster House for Runaways”. Staff were hired and trained, the Child Care License was received and, in April 1977, Muskegon County’s first program for runaway youth and their families was opened to the public.

In August of 1980, Webster House moved to 125 Delaware. Due to the diminished funding for social programs, Every Woman’s Place, Inc. was approached in early 1981 and asked if it would administer Webster House. In October 1981, Webster House for Runaways became a program of Every Woman’s Place, Inc. The Transition to Independent Living (TIL) Program became part of Webster House in late 1987 and opened its doors to the homeless youth of Muskegon County in January of 1988.

In 1992, following a review of the TIL program by the State DHS monitor, Every Woman’s Place was instructed to change the TIL format from residential to non-residential. In October of 1992, the TIL program moved out of Webster House and relocated in the Every Woman’s Place central office at 425 W. Western Avenue. At that time, TIL became a non-residential program for homeless youth ages 16-20 years of age.

As the TIL program moved out of Webster House the Status Offender Program moved into Webster House. In October 1992, Every Woman’s Place/Webster House received the funding through a performance agreement with the DHS (then Dept. of Social Services) to implement the Status Offender Diversion Program. Several youth whom were exhibiting incorrigible or status offending behaviors were being bounced from agency to agency and placed in residential care. The goal of this project was and remained to be to reduce the out-of –home placements into foster care and residential respite services for youth 12-17 years of age.

In October 1994, Every Woman’s Place relocated to the current location the purchase of an old convent that previously housed the nuns who worked at Muskegon Catholic Central High School. At that time, all of the Every Woman’s Place & Webster House Youth Services came together under one roof.