When the doors swing open at My Sister’s House next month, 26 single, homeless women with a burning desire to change their lives will be able to walk through and settle in for a while. At this transitional women’s center, clients can access services that will enable them to overcome the circumstances that led to their homelessness.
My Sister’s House Transitional Living Center is scheduled to officially open in early March 2010. MSHTLC is a program of the Friendship Community Development Corporation (FCDC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to revitalizing and stabilizing the communities along the Beatties Ford Road corridor through affordable housing, education programs, supportive services and economic development.
“The face of homelessness has changed with the economic times,” says Iris Hubbard, Director of My Sister’s House. “Homeless single women now include teachers, nurses, college graduates, PhD graduates, veterans, young women who have aged out of foster care, grandmothers, daughters and sisters.”
The women who will call My Sister’s House home may be transitioning from substance abuse rehab, family crisis situations, physically abusive situations, loss of income and housing, homeless shelters or other high risk situations. At My Sister’s House, these women will receive intensive case management, individual and group support, life-skills training, mental health assessments, medical services, financial literacy education and job training.
“Our goal is to help them successfully transition to safe environments, gainful employment, affordable homes, and self-reliance,” says Hubbard.
My Sister’s House grew out of a partnership between the FCDC and The Salvation Army Center of Hope temporary shelter project for single women. Since 2007, the FCDC has helped to alleviate the overflow from the Salvation Army by hosting temporary shelters ranging from two weeks to one month. Realizing a growing need in this area, the FCDC Board of Directors decided to continue the program permanently as My Sister’s House.
This new Transitional Living Center will be housed at 3239 Beatties Ford Road in a facility donated to the program by Friendship Missionary Baptist Church. The Salvation Army Center of Hope will initially provide the screening for the clients, and Fill My Cup, a nonprofit adult literacy program, will offer GED classes on the FCDC campus from August to May.
For more information, contact:
Iris Hubbard, Program Director, 704-391-6683
C. Jennifer Coble, Executive Director, 704-391-6697
