Message
Message from Mary
NO JOB, NO INCOME, NO TRANSPORTATION, NO CHILDCARE SERVICE, NO SUPPORT SYSTEM! This is the reality of the many women in Brevard County who call Genesis House every day. They are mothers with school-age or teenage children, mothers with babies or preschool children, and pregnant women. Genesis House receives five to ten phone calls daily from women in need of help and housing. Many of them are feeling desperate because they have lost their jobs, have been evicted, or are in abusive situations. Several of the mothers with children we have taken in this year were acutely ill, and several had chronically ill children; these situations prevented them from being able to work to support their families. According to statistics I have recently read, about 36% of the United States homeless population are women with children. Homelessness is not an abstract concept when you see the faces of homeless children and know their personal stories and the struggles of their mothers who can’t provide a home for them. We receive referral phone calls from school counselors, hospitals, churches, police departments, other social service agencies, family members, and concerned strangers, as well as frantic, tearful calls from homeless women. We have had 92 women and 72 children residing in our three shelter homes since our last newsletter. We have had eight babies born, one was lovingly placed for adoption through an adoption agency. While living at Genesis House many of our mothers have found jobs and permanent housing. Many enrolled in school and are improving their education and job skills so they can become self-supporting. Our residents are supervised by our dedicated Staff of three live-in house managers: Frankie, Rebecca, and Terry. Our Case Manager, Dona, helps our residents find the resources they need, and she helps them stay on track as they work to fulfill their goals and be able to afford to live independently. We also have had six interns from Webster University helping us this year as they work on completing their Master’s Degrees in Counseling. I am amazed by the help and generosity of our supporters. We are very grateful for all the volunteers who have helped us improve our three homes and yards. They have built picnic tables, cut down dangerous tree limbs, fixed plumbing and other household repairs, painted the interior and decorated rooms, and organized the donated clothing in our Free Boutique. Our residents have beautiful, safe homes to live in because of our volunteers. Donated funds have helped us with our many expenses and with meeting the needs of the residents, including buying college books, transportation expenses, and paying for prescriptions.
— Mary Allen, Founder and President of the Genesis House Governing Board |
|
Home |
Message |
History |
Successes |
Events |
Contributors |