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Perpetual Help Home is a permanent supported housing program helping women and their children in hardship circumstances. Their situations vary: recent release from prison or jail, serious substance abuse problems, homelessness, or domestic violence.
We have helped these women get on their feet through job training, network building, and a focus on financial stability. The program is structured in increments to slowly transition residents from dependence on the home though they are still living here.
We are a registered Christian Women's Job Corps site, and we provide job and life skills training through this program. We also provide volunteers who guide our women through this process. Residents must attempt several milestones -- from purchasing their own vehicle to saving toward a down payment to buy a home, or saving enough money to prevent future homelessness.
We are a Christian ministry, and we believe involvement with a local church is a vital part of providing support to women who are trying to move out of a difficult situation. This prevents the isolation from society so many of these women experience and provides accountability to both the women in the program and the community to support them.
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RESIDENT HIGHLIGHT - Stella, 41
While in jail, she said, she called the staff here and asked them to pray for her, and she knew that they would be there for her. Another thing she did in jail was read "The Purpose Driven Life," she said, and she began to open her heart to God. "God said to me, 'Stella, if you give me a year of your life, I'll do great things with you.' He didn't say 'to you' and he didn't say 'for you,' he said 'with you.'" She said she knew Perpetual Help Home would be the best place to be to spend that year. "I came the day I got out," she said. She did this even though she had a mobile home waiting for her when she got out, because she realized she needed the guidance and support system that PHH offered. And great things are happening, she said. She's a member of Central Church of Christ and says her church family is wonderful. She also has found a satisfying job. Right now, Stella is trying to change her life by focusing on being less self-centered. "Instead of worrying about making Stella happy and meeting my selfish desires, I am focusing on my children, my church, and my environment," she said. She recounts this recent "victory:" "I was able to handle my husband's death. I was able to be there for my children. I was not using, nor did I turn to drugs," she said. Her challenge now, she said, is staying on track, so she will not lose what she has gained. |
Stella has been living at Perpetual Help Home for more than five months now. It is her second time here. The first time she stayed a little more than a year. After she left, she went to jail for a probation violation.