Francine

Francine* came to The Salvation Army Shelter for Women and Children right before Christmas of 2009. She had lost her job in May and her apartment in June and had been living with her daughter. From the first time we met, I (her case manager) knew she would succeed because she is so motivated. She had been constantly putting in job applications and going on interviews for two and a half months without getting anywhere. However, Francine never gave up! She stayed involved in Dress for Success’ Women’s Group and consistently worked out at the YMCA, both partnering agencies of The Salvation Army.

In February she found a job at a daycare supervising infant care. Francine found an apartment in March and moved into her own apartment with rental assistance from The Salvation Army. She was enrolled in our Continuing Support Program and had been doing great.

Now she is doing even better than before! She was contacted for a new job for customer service in the insurance industry. She works with the State of Indiana answering questions about the variety of health insurance plans and now is a great resource for me when my clients have questions. I am so proud of her and look forward to working with her in the future. Francine is truly a success story!

*Names have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the clients

Harriett* has been struggling with depression for most of her life. When she came to The Salvation Army four years ago, she had left a domestic violence situation with her husband and had overcome a drug addiction. However even though she was past the violence and the drugs, she still struggled with her mental health. During her first stay at The Salvation Army, Harriett rarely left her room and did not take any actions to improve her own life.

Harriett recently came back to the shelter for a second time, and she made great progress! She started to take control of her depression, and has been working on her independence and self confidence. She no longer stayed in her room, but made efforts to look for a part time job while applying for SSD and participating in the Shelter Plus Care program. Harriett also sees a counselor twice a month, which she would have never done before.

We am so proud of Harriett and the progress she has made. Even though she was nervous about moving out on her own, she knew that was the step in the right direction and that The Salvation Army was there still to support her. She has been clean for over 20 years and now has much better coping skills. She is part of our Continuing Support Program and continues to meet with her case manager once a week.

*Names have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the client.

A Night In Our City Raises Almost $5,000

Friday, June 19 marked what we hope will be the first annual “A Night In Our City.”  The event put together by Response Church and The Salvation Army aimed to raise money and awareness in order to support the downtown women and children’s shelter and educate the greater Indianapolis area about domestic violence and its prevalence in our city;  reinforce the value of family and community; and to reduce abuse, neglect, and deaths involving the women and children in Indianapolis.

The event featured a silent auction, fun games and a moonbounce for children, four live bands and food provided by HotBox Pizza and Starbucks Coffee.  The event also presented a perfect opportunity to recognize the shelter’s first Employee of the Year, Stephanie Moore. 

A special thanks to all of our wonderful sponsors, volunteers, staff, Response Church and Blue Trolley Press for helping make this event a success!

Miss the event and still want to help?  It’s not to late!  Click here to donate now!

“The best changes often start as a single, simple thought.  Think big and discover the ways to make your dreams real.” -Unknown

Mark your calendars for June 19th from 6:00pm-9:00pm and come out to the corner of Park and 10th Street for the Salvation Army and Response Church’s  first “Night In Our City:  A Fundraiser to Support Women and Children Affected by Domestic Violence.”

Here’s why:

• Of the 152 women and children served last month at the downtown shelter, 126 were seeking shelter due to domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, isolation and forced prostitution.
• So far this year we have already seen 428 women and 223 children seeking safety and shelter.
• Last year we served 1,785 people. That’s 1,057 women and 728 children.  Homeless and abused.  In our city!
• We serve an average of 6,700 meals per month.  Three meals a day, seven days a week.

Come on out, enjoy a slice of HotBox pizza, a glass of fresh squeezed lemonade, and hot cup of coffee provided by Starbucks.   Listen to some live music, play carnival games with your kids, and participate in a silent auction.

If you can’t make the event but still want to help, you can make an online donation here.

Help us empower and uplift the women and children in our city.  Help us break the cycle of abuse.

For more information: email anightinourcity@gmail.com or call 224-1067

Karen’s Story

“My name is Karen* and I have a beautiful, intelligent little three year old girl.  When I came to the shelter I was leaving a domestic violence relationship and a very depressing home environment.  I decided I had finally had enough of the abuse and that our home environment was no longer safe for myself or my daughter.  So, after formulating a plan to escape I talked with the staff at The Salvation Army.  They were very welcoming and I knew it was a place that would be safe and allow me to start over. 

The shelter was such a helpful place for my daughter and I.  We were in such a time of need and The Salvation Army was just the helping hand we needed.  We stayed at the shelter for a few months.  While living there I attended classes to prepare me for living on my own and to cope with the abuse we had experienced.  Finally, I took steps to get our lives back on track.  I decided to take CNA classes so I could build a career.  The Salvation Army helped give me information about getting back on my feet.  They also provided resources to places that would help pay for CNA classes – that was amazing!  I am thankful to have found people so helpful and caring. 

In closing, my stay at the Salvation Army was a life changing step in the right direction.  I now have an apartment of my own.  My daughter and I are in relief of all of the stress and very happy.  We appreciate all of the people at The Salvation Army and are thankful to have had the experience to be around so many loving people.”

*Names have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the client.

Unplanned Plans

We have been seeing some major changes here at the Social Service Center in the last few months.  A big part of those changes is an increased involvement from Response Church, an inner city church plant that has partnered with the SSC to help us serve our clients. 

Monday nights at 6:30 volunteers and clients look forward to “Ladies Night,” a group started to celebrate, encourage and uplift the women living in the shelter.  The group is centered around nail polish.  We hang out and talk, do manicures and pedicures, have massage therapists do chair massages once a month and do other various fun activities.  It has been a fun group to start an watch grow and we plan to blog more on it in the upcoming weeks.

June 1st Response will be starting a similar group for the kids, Monday Fun-Day.  I put some volunteers in charge of planning and running the group as I am deeply involved in the Monday night women’s group.  Here is what the leader of that group, Adam, has to say about their planning so far:

“Yesterday was one of those days where have you step back and know that you are not in control of anything. 
 
I am probably one of the most unorganized, random, right-brained people you will meet.  I have been placed in charge of putting together a kid’s group for the summer at the shelter.  As you can imagine, my right-brained functions don’t quite allow me the pleasure of planning this thing by myself successfully.  I recruited some help.  The two people that are helping me plan this whole thing are just has random as I am.  It has been interesting thus far to have planning meetings with these two and we have all kinds of funny stories about our randomness already.  We have an entire 14 week program planned out for kids at the shelter from 2nd grade to high school with the goal of positive mentoring to serve like Christ.  Most recently I have been freaking out about volunteers and finding the right ones.  I made a huge list and reduced it down to about 4 people I could depend on, including myself and the other 2 people helping me plan it.  Through friends of friends most recently though I’ve seen the list jump to 10 solid people who are actually excited and passionate about this group.
 
Yesterday I set up a meeting with 2 people I’ve never met before in my life.  Through exchanging of emails and phone calls I realized that God brought them right to me.  I am meeting one guy tonight at a local coffee shop and a girl Monday night at the same location.  Through the emails and phone conversations I am sure that they will fit right in.  I’m meeting with them to really hear their stories and make sure they will be a part of this group because they couldn’t see themselves doing anything else this summer.  I see God doing big things through this group organized by the most unorganized.  Next week we are meeting with all the volunteers to do a brief orientation, hand out the summer schedules and go over basic ins and outs of how we want to be as a group this summer.
 
Now that I look at a detailed goals and methods sheet, a full 14 week calendar, and list of 10 solid volunteers with similar hearts for these kids and this shelter, I just step back and say thank you, thank you to a God who is and has been putting all this together in order to do a work this summer He planned long before He allowed me, a messy, right-brained, unorganized guy to even get involved.”

Check back often to get updates Ladies Night, Monday Fun-Day, and how the shelter is changing lives and impacting our city. 

-Julia

April Statistics

I am often asked to give statistics regarding the number of people we are serving, the average length that clients stay at the Social Service Center, etc.  Here are some statistics from the month of April:

We had 58 new adults and 22 new children come into the shelter in April.

51 adults and 26 children continued to receiving services from the previous month (March).

The average length of stay for April:  67 nights.  Some clients stay for one night and some for many months, depending on their individual situation.

Of the number of clients served in April, 107 of the women and children received shelter due to domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, isolation and forced prostitution.

The shelter served 6,586 meals in April.

Want to help us help others?  Click on “Donate” to see how.

-Julia

A New Found Stability

Jaime* has been in and out of shelter several times over the past six years.  She has struggled immensely with addiction issues.  Jaime has managed to maintain sobriety for over a year now.  She was finally approved for Shelter Plus Care and has acquired permanent housing.

Recently Jaime was diagnosed with breast cancer.  She will have surgery next week.  Her case manager at the Salvation Army Social Service Center has assisted her with hygiene items, food, support and transportation to medical appointments.

Despite all of the recent events in Jaime’s life, she has managed to remain sober.

*Names have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the client.

Response Throws Easter Party for SSC

For many of us when we think of Easter we think of family, Easter dinner, a visit from the Easter Bunny and lots of candy.  Sadly, many of our clients at the Social Service Center are without family and resources to enjoy holiday’s such as Easter.

Last Saturday, April 11, Response Church came into the shelter and threw an Easter Party for the women and children living here.  Clients enjoyed an Easter Egg Hunt, petting and getting their pictures taken with a real live Easter Bunny, a few games of Musical Chairs and Simon Says (with prizes for the winners of course) and coloring Easter themed pictures.

Response Church is an urban church plant in Downtown Indianapolis that has partnered with the Social Service Center to volunteer and uplift the clients living in the shelter.  If you or your organization are interested in volunteering please contact Julia Sipes at julia_sipes@usc.salvationarmy.org.

Mother’s Day Flower Project

For the 25,000 women who’ll spend this Mother’s Day in a battered women’s shelter, concerns like securing a new home, keeping their children safe and putting food on the table make the holiday just another day to survive. This year, go above and beyond flowers and brunch, and honor the women you love by supporting women in need.

Every spring in time for Mother’s Day, JWI’s Mother’s Day Flower Project sends beautiful bouquets to 150 battered women’s shelters across the U.S., including the Social Service Center, while raising funds for initiatives that work every day to educate communities, empower women and break the cycle of abuse.

On a single day in September 2008, nearly 61,000 victims of domestic violence were served by DV programs across the country (up from 53,000 the previous year); more than 21,000 hotline calls were answered; and almost 9,000 requests for services were unmet due to inadequate funding or lack of available staff to assist these victims.

If you are interested in donating to the Mother’s Day Flower Project please visit www.jwci.org.

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