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.

Check Out Our New Digs!

This past Friday and Saturday staff and employees at the Salvation Army Women and Children’s Shelter were blessed to have Calvary Temple Church come in and serve us for their service project “I Love Indy.”  The group of young adults led by Pastor Glen Palmer transformed our lobby and two tv tooms, painted a mural in our hallway and even provided each woman and family with a new “bed in a bag.”   In addition to the renovations volunteers took our children our for a day at the Children’s Museum while the women stayed at the shelter for a “Spa Day” where they were given facials, manicures and pedicures, and pampered!

Words can not describe how much of a difference this group made so please check out our pictures!

And as one client wrote in a thank you letter to the church, “This past Sunday I came into the lobby as I waited for a ride and found the beautiful furnishings and otmosphere that just brought joy to my life. I could not help but priase God for people such as yourselves who cared enough to do this for us.  Thank you so much for bringing a little joy in one ladies heart.  May God continue to bless you and may he shower his abundant love on you.”

On behalf of all the shelter staff and clients, thank you Calvary Temple for fixing up our home!

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

Call to Care

Today we had some special visitors at the shelter:  Mrs. Steffen’s 4th Grade Class from White Lick Elementary School.  These children chose the Salvation Army Women and Children’s Shelter as the focus for their service learning project this semester.  The kids wanted to know how they could help after learning that there are kids just like them that are homeless.

The kids collected 261 cell phones which will be shipped to Shelter Alliance, a program that gives domestic violence shelters money in exchange for used cell phones.

The class also prepared 100 fleece blankets and 100 welcome packages for the kids living in the shelter.  Each welcome package included a personal card prepared by Mrs. Steffen’s students.

It was such a priviledge today to witness a group of kids with a servant’s heart hoping to make a difference in other’s lives!  Thank you to everyone who participated in this years “Call to Care.”

“If you can imagine it, you can acheive it; if you can dream it, you can become it.”
-William Arthur Ward