Becky's Place Half Way To Reaching Goal In Matching Campaign

Last updated on Friday, June 1, 2018

(BEDFORD) - Becky’s Place is more than 50 percent to their goal of raising $100,000 before June 30th.

Becky's Place provides shelter and creates hope for women and children who are experiencing homelessness while also helping them move toward a life of self-sufficiency.

Currently, the initiative has raised $52,838.97 that will be put towards an emergency fund, endowment and day-to-day operations.

Becky's Place changes lives everyday serves about 100 women and children each year. Currently, there are 11 women and 9 children at the shelter.

"I am very proud of the way Bedford has stewarded this outreach that we have. Becky's Place is the only shelter for Lawrence County as well as Owen, Orange and Brown. We serve nine counties, but we're the only show in town for those four counties," said Bush.

Becky's Place offers their residents meals, case management, support services, counseling, educational resources, life skills and a compassionate, dedicated staff. Their goal is for each resident to obtain permanent housing as quickly as possible as each resident works with a case manager to develop a life plan.

Below is the account of one woman that found success through Becky's Place. Her name has been changed for privacy.

Amy* was referred to Becky's Place by the local Problem-Solving Court. She had several criminal charges pending and could enter their program, through the court system. Through Problem-Solving Court, Amy would be responsible for attending court weekly, have random home visits and be asked to submit to drug and alcohol testing frequently. Upon completion, many of Amy's charges would be dropped or considered lesser charges. Amy also had an open Department of Child Services (DCS) case as well. Her two daughters were removed from her care and placed in her parents' care. Amy resided with her parents as well. Due to the DCS policy, Amy was told that she would need to leave her parents' home or her children would be placed in foster care, so Amy left the home and was considered homeless.
Amy arrived the first time at Becky's Place in October 2016. She started working the program immediately. Her focus was obtaining employment and working toward her goals with DCS so she could be reunited with her daughters. Amy followed Becky's Place program and was compliant with DCS guidelines. Because of this, she was able to find employment and attended work regularly. Becky's Place staff became an advocate for Amy with her DCS case and attended meetings with family and caseworkers. Amy continued to progress with her DCS case and was permitted to move back home with her parents and daughters. After her stay at Becky's Place, Amy informed staff that her DCS case was closed successfully and thanked everyone for their help.

Amy continued on the right path for a while and was doing well for herself. However, when she ran into a friend from the past, she found herself in a tough situation. She relapsed a few months after leaving Becky's Place and because Amy was still involved in the court system, she was taken to jail. Following jail, she was offered a chance to complete an inpatient rehabilitation program and continue with Problem-Solving Court. This time, Amy's parents did not allow her to return to their home, finding herself homeless and without her daughters once again.

Becky's Place did not give up on Amy; she was given a second chance. In November 2017, she returned, pregnant with her third child. In December, Amy had a baby girl. Staff and residents supported Amy in caring for her baby. She did an amazing job and was a role model for the other mothers. Amy returned to work as soon as possible and started saving money. Her older daughters remained with her parents while Amy worked to find housing that she and all of her daughters could share.

Currently, Amy has custody of all three of her daughters and is proving to be a very good mother. She rents a nice home and plans to save money to buy a home of her own. She completed the Becky's Place program and is compliant with Problem-Solving Court. Amy stays involved in local self-help meetings and drops by Becky's Place occasionally to chat with staff and let everyone visit the girls.

Click here to help the women and children at Becky's Place.

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