ST. JOSEPH — With its Homelessness Awareness Week fundraiser coming to a close, the Housing Resource Network (HRN) of Berrien County gave an encouraging update to the Berrien County Board of Commissioners Thursday.

Alysia Babcock, executive director of the Benton Harbor Emergency Shelter, was happy to report that three Berrien County families who were homeless became homeowners in the past year.

“I thought there was no way that could happen,” she said.

HRN, which put together a 10-year plan to eliminate homelessness in the county in 2006, also reported the following statistics for the year:

• Emergency Shelter Services in Benton Harbor has closed 12 shelter beds this year.

• 974 people lived in shelters in Berrien County this past year.

• More than 250 families in the county have received prevention funds to keep them from becoming homeless.

• Through HRN’s training program with Michigan Works, two people have had jobs for more than a year, two have had a job for more than six months, three were hired this month and three will begin work this month.

• All 12 participants in the last HRN training program class completed the course. Michigan Works has agreed to add three more spots to the next class.

• Two Berrien County landlords reported that without Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing funding assistance for their tenants, they would have lost their rental units to foreclosure.

• Housing vouchers bring nearly $5 million into Berrien County each year.

Babcock also pointed out HRN has office hours in the South County Building in Niles three days a week and is hoping to find a building in south county for a thrift store, similar to Six Degrees in Benton Harbor.