Who We Are

WHO WE
ARE

Need is normal.
Need does not discriminate.
But neither does God.
And so neither do we.

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Why We’re HEre

Opening Doors

The number of people experiencing homelessness is up 10% since 2015.

Losing housing creates new barriers to regaining housing. We find it both humane and smart to help people keep the housing they already have.

A homeless person can cost taxpayers almost $3,000 a month.

2018 Minnesota Homeless Study

WHAT we are

Compassionate & Smart

We give grants to individuals and families who need help making ends meet with their housing…helping them pay a portion of their rent. 

97% of donations go directly to help families with their living situations.

More than 1,000 Twin Cities families received assistance in the last 3 years.

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What We Do

Grants that Bridge Gaps

When financial crisis hits or when life won’t let you catch your breath, Threshold to New Life is here to help you.

You can apply for a housing assistance grant to help you pay a portion of your housing costs or to help you with the costs of security deposits or application fees.

How we do it

Crossing Thresholds

We are an all-volunteer organization, partnering directly with clients and multiple organizations to meet an individual’s need.

We are a 501c3 non-profit, founded in 2013.

We are 100% donor funded, with 97% of all donated funds going directly to our housing assistance programs.

Nearly 1000 families assisted since 2015!

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From time to time we may be unable to meet the applicants’ specific request.

We limit the number of grants fulfilled to any one organization each month.

calling

Need is a Calling

Threshold to New Life is built upon the Judeo-Christian ethic of the dignity of every human life. This foundational belief about humankind gives us a responsibility to each other and an accountability to God. It’s from our faith and from this sense of duty and calling that we partner with our Twin Cities community to identify the fundamental needs of others and provide the services of Threshold to New Life.

temporary

Need is Temporary

We don’t believe that need has to be permanent. By giving people a hand up – and not a hand out – we can help them overcome temporary financial obstacles in their living and housing situations, letting them cross thresholds into greater opportunities and into a bigger story for their lives. Our hope is that the support we give helps people find the stability they need on their journey toward God’s best for them.

faith
All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. (NLT)
ACTS 4:32

OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM

We’re business-minded, compassion-driven professionals. All committed to helping families stay in their homes.


Richard Bahr

Richard Bahr

President & CHaplain

Having led and grown a leading capital equipment manufacturer with installations in 27 countries serving 17 of the top 20 pharmaceutical firms in the world, Bahr became determined to dedicate more of his time,

Full Bio
Carla Bahr

Carla Bahr

Secretary/Treasurer & ADvocate

Carla co-founded Threshold to New Life with her husband, Richard, in 2013. Carla handles the day-to-day operations for the organization dealing with partner organizations and directly with clients. 

Full Bio
Sheila Daniels

Sheila Daniels

DIRECTOR

From Homeless to Faith – Following her experiences in dealing with both homelessness …

Full Bio
Danell Gibbins 1

Danell Gibbins

DIRECTOR

Danell is a hands-on executive with several decades of senior level experience in the wholesale…

Full Bio
Dave Larson

Dave Larson

DIRECTOR

David was born and raised in northern Minnesota and has lived in the Twin Cities for over 35 years. He is married…

Full Bio
Sherri Larson

Sherri Larson

DIRECTOR and ADVOCATE

Sherri was born and raised in WI before moving to MN thirty plus years ago.  She met her husband…

Full Bio
Denise Morrisette 2

Denise Morrisette

DIRECTOR

A life-long Minnesotan, Denise is married to John and has two wonderful daughters…

Full Bio
John Morrisette 2

John Morrisette

DIRECTOR

Also a life-long Minnesotan, John is married to Denise and has two wonderful daughters and a son-in-law.

Full Bio
Nancy Van Beusekom 2

Nancy Van Beusekom

DIRECTOR

Nancy was born and raised in Wisconsin and has lived in the Twin Cities for over 35 years…

Full Bio
Rob Van Beusekom 2

Rob Van Beusekom

DIRECTOR

Rob was born and raised in the Minneapolis area and currently lives in the Northwest suburb…

Full Bio

Immediate Impact

The work we’re doing is having an immediate impact, protecting families and supporting communities.

Give now

Opening Doors. Bridging Gaps.
Crossing Thresholds to Keep You Home.

Your New Life Starts Today.

APPLY NOW

Carla Bahr

SECRETARY/TREASURER & ADVOCATE

Carla co-founded Threshold to New Life with her husband, Richard, in 2013. Carla handles the day-to-day operations for the organization dealing with partner organizations and working directly with clients.

She has spent a career in providing administrative support for executives at a number of prominent Twin City companies, which developed her organizational skills as well as the heart of a servant.

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Richard Bahr

PRESIDENT & CHAPLAIN

Having led and grown a leading capital equipment manufacturer with installations in 27 countries serving 17 of the top 20 pharmaceutical firms in the world, Bahr became determined to dedicate more of his time, talent and treasure to helping “the least of these."

He has a B.A. from Augsburg University in Business and has served on the boards of and has actively worked with several charitable organizations throughout his career. As a licensed minister, he volunteers as a chaplain at various homeless shelters along with providing leadership for 2.4 Ministries of Grace Fellowship, serving a daily breakfast to the homeless. He is also a published author. His most recent book, Those People, shares stories about his homeless friends. More about Bahr can be found on his website at www.richardbahr.com.

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Sheila Daniels

DIRECTOR

From Homeless to Faith – Following her experiences in dealing with both homelessness and chemical dependency, Sheila committed her life to Christ in 2004. As God began pulling the pieces of her life together, she began working for a non-profit homeless shelter in 2007, then earned her B.S. in Human Services in 2018. Following multiple promotions, she now is the Program Director at Hope Harbor at the Salvation Army in Minneapolis.

Sheila is originally from Chicago and has resided in the Twin Cities since the late ’90s. She is married and a soldier in The Salvation Army. Her empathy for those struggling with addiction, homelessness, and mental illness has oriented her vocation and volunteering to step in to help those in need.

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Danell Gibbins

DIRECTOR

Danell is a hands-on executive with several decades of senior level experience in the wholesale industry. Born and raised in North Dakota, she has lived in the Twin Cities area for more than 30 years, and she and her husband call the northern suburbs home.

In addition to volunteering with Threshold to New Life, she supports a number of other organizations which reflect her heart for poverty, food and family insecurity, and homelessness: World Vision, Common Hope, and Unseen among them. She loves to cook, eat, and make others feel welcome. She translates this into preparing and serving food at Simpson Shelter, Minneapolis, alongside her friends from Grace Fellowship, Brooklyn Park, MN.

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Denise Morrisette

DIRECTOR

A life-long Minnesotan, Denise is married to John and has two wonderful daughters and a son-in-law. She has spent her career as an elementary school teacher in a Title 1 school in a Twin City area school district.

Along with volunteering with Threshold to New Life, she has helped with several other homeless ministries. She sponsors children through World Vision and is currently a coach and mentor to the Girls on the Run organization, which promotes good self-esteem, positive role models, and moral education along with physical activity to girls in grades 3 – 5.

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John Morrisette

DIRECTOR

Also a life-long Minnesotan, John is married to Denise and has two wonderful daughters and a son-in-law. He has been an Environmental Scientist and has been operating his own business for 22 years.

Along with volunteering with Threshold to New Life, John has learned the joys of serving by being a Big Brother since 2012 and is currently a tutor at Sharing and Caring Hands. He has worked with at-risk teens at Maple Grove High School in the STRIVE program. He has also coached youth gymnastics and soccer for many years.

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Rob Van Beusekom

DIRECTOR

Rob was born and raised in the Minneapolis area and currently lives in the Northwest suburbs of Minneapolis with his wife, Nancy. He has a B.S. Degree in Finance from Saint Cloud State University and has spent the last 30 years of his career in corporate financial management and planning.

In addition to his role on the Board of Directors of Threshold to New Life, Rob is involved in several other non-profit organizations. He teaches financial literacy classes for several organizations, serves on the speakers’ bureau of Feed My Starving Children, and is a Compassion International and Campus Outreach sponsor. He is also involved in his church, Grace Fellowship in Brooklyn Park, where he serves as a church elder, men’s group leader, and small group leader.

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Nancy Van Beusekom

DIRECTOR

Nancy was born and raised in Wisconsin and has lived in the Twin Cities for over 35 years. She lives in the Northwest suburbs of Minneapolis with her husband, Rob. She has a B.S. Degree in Finance from University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and has spent the past 30 years of her career in business systems support and project management within the Financial Services Industry, where she recently retired.

In addition to her role on the Board of Directors of Threshold to New Life, Nancy teaches financial literacy classes for several non-profit organizations, ran the church bookstore for 4 years at Grace Fellowship Church, and is a Compassion International and Campus Outreach sponsor.

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Sherri Larson

DIRECTOR AND ADVOCATE

Sherri was born and raised in WI before moving to MN thirty plus years ago. She met her husband Dave on a blind date and they have 2 adopted children. Now both retired since 2018, she and Dave enjoy their respective and joint hobbies, spending time at their cabin, doing road trips and visiting with their children.

After working in the corporate world supporting the divisional VP for many years, Sherri was looking for something that helped people, not a corporate bottom line. She has been a volunteer advocate with Threshold to New Life since 2019. She is also a Drop Off Site co-leader with her husband at Grace Fellowship Church for Operation Christmas Child, collecting shoebox gifts from the surrounding community for children around the world, spreading the good news of Jesus to the children and their families and friends. She has also sponsored several children over the years thru Compassion International.

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Dave Larson

DIRECTOR

David was born and raised in northern Minnesota and has lived in the Twin Cities for over 35 years. He is married to Sherri and has two adopted children, a son and daughter. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Bemidji State University and had a variety of roles in the technology industry over the past 30 years.

After retiring in 2018, he now spends free time volunteering for various organizations and activities. He is a Drop off lead for Operation Christmas Child, providing leadership for shoebox collections at his Grace Fellowship site. In addition, he leads a small group at Grace Fellowship, as well as providing various staff support functions. During the summer months, he spends as much time as possible at his cabin in northern Minnesota.

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