A residential staff member had a huge influence on her and became like a grandmother to her, something Fatima never had. We offer FREE self-sufficiency Review Answer House programming to parenting teen moms. Answer House’s mission is to break the cycle of domestic violence by providing safe refuge and supportive services that educate and empower those impacted by domestic violence.
Answer House programs that include Professional Case Management so families receive a hand up not a handout. Since becoming a Answer House Mom, Alejandra has been able to finish her GED through Penn Foster in February of 2022 and is incredibly thankful for the support and motivation she had through Answer House Staff. She attended the GED graduation in May 2022 and gave the graduation speech. Janely, Alejandra’s 9-month-old-daughter, is also enrolled in the Early Learning Program. Alejandra has also taken other classes including Parenting 101, Relationship Classes, and Self-Care classes. By age 14, Janelle was pregnant, and that same boyfriend became abusive, leaving her with bruises make-up couldn’t cover.
The Salvation Army’s transitional programs move people from the streets to stability to employment and finally to a home. At Answer House, children find a safe, alcohol and drug free place to call home while their parents get back on their feet. Answer House provides a safe and clean environment supported by 24-hour, seven-day-a-week case management and supportive services. They complete drug and alcohol treatment, reunite with children, get jobs, pay debt, start saving money and learn valuable life skills to help them become self-sufficient.
- She was sleeping with her baby girl on a couch in a crowded mobile home.
- They take clothing, toys and other donation items on specific times.
- Stephanie grew up in generational poverty, became a mom as a teenager and dropped out of school.
- By the time Joseph was born, Janelle had stopped going to school.
- Although Janelle and her brothers were already used to living in chaos, now they were left on the sidelines, trying to take care of themselves.
High-quality professionally run shelters, like Preble Street Answer House, provide more than just a place to sleep for a night. They provide staff who are trained in trauma-informed care and harm reduction, housing navigation services, case management, healthy and nutritious meals, and more. Shelters also divert the most vulnerable from relying on the most expensive services like hospital emergency rooms, jails, police, emergency response systems, and the child welfare system.
What Makes Answer House Different?
Alondra also had to overcome homelessness and generational poverty. A secure, off-site facility where custodial parents safely exchange custody of their children and/or children participate in supervised visits with their non-custodial parent. Assistance in thirteen area courts including order of protection court, as well as lethality assessment programs with nine area municipal police departments. “Answer House helped me a lot. I was scared. Answer House helped me by teaching me about responsibility, budgeting, structure and spending time with my son.” Join us for an evening of compassion and support as we come together to empower and uplift survivors of domestic violence. Through comprehensive services, Answer House provides survivors with the resources needed to get to safety.
Answer House also helped her get a car, a paid internship with Jefferson County and an apartment. Life felt so intensely depressing that Fatima feared she would have a miscarriage. Her living situation with family was chaotic and unsafe all throughout her pregnancy, but at 16—with little support or encouragement—she gave birth to her son Julian. She has been living in the same duplex for two years, which is longer than she has lived anywhere in her life. Brittani and her boyfriend are working on their credit score so they can buy a house.
- She also applied to and was accepted into the Residential Program.
- Living facilities include individual rooms and dorms for single men and women.
- Answer House Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization, provides services to adults with developmental disabilities exclusively in their own homes or apartments — regardless of how complex their disabilities may be.
- She has been living in the same duplex for two years, which is longer than she has lived anywhere in her life.
- Transitional housing is temporary housing for the working homeless population and is set up to transition their residents to permanent housing.
Percentage of residents who were under the age of 18 staying in our shelter last year. People successfully exiting Answer House programs who are stably housed 1 year later. Six months later, Janelle had earned her GED and had found her own confidence. With the support of our College & Career Program, Janelle applied to the Community College of Denver and began working toward a certification in machining. The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.
In a year’s time, she was able to cover her expenses and begin saving for a down payment for a house. Alejandra found out that she was pregnant just days before her 17th birthday. An “A” student who had spent her first three years of high school taking IB and college classes, as well as working, Alejandra wasn’t sure what her life would look like as a teen parent. Alejandra hid her pregnancy until she was about six months along, and eventually told her parents and friends. She felt shamed and scared, and she was struggling with preeclampsia and migraines as she got closer to her due date. Eventually, Alejandra got connected to Answer House through clinic staff at the office where she went to get ultrasounds.
Fatima & Julian
Established in 1990 out of the need for homeless services for women and children, Answer House serves over 5000 homeless and impoverished individuals and families in Hancock County each year. In addition, Answer House serves as the Front Door for rental housing assistance in Hancock County. Fatima heard about Answer House through a friend of a friend, and after having joined the program, she quickly began working on her high school equivalency through Penn Foster. She also applied to and was accepted into the Residential Program. Fatima and Julian moved into the house and started making friends with other moms and staff.
Search for Transitional Housing
Preble Street assumed operations of Answer House on Sunday, February 2, 2025, from Penobscot Community Health Center (PCHC). Answer House is dedicated to making sure every individual affected by domestic violence can find refuge and freedom. Answer House Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization, provides services to adults with developmental disabilities exclusively in their own homes or apartments — regardless of how complex their disabilities may be. Transitional housing is temporary housing for the working homeless population and is set up to transition their residents to permanent housing.
Investing in our community
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Since 1996, The Salvation Army’s Answer House in Medford has helped Jackson County’s homeless get back on their feet. Answer House is a drug and alcohol free transitional living facility that accommodates single men, single women and families. Living facilities include individual rooms and dorms for single men and women. For families, home is one large room when they first come to Answer House. Partnership with the Independence Police Department to provide crisis intervention services, advocacy, and resource referrals and linkages to survivors contacting the police for assistance. The Co-Responding Advocate also coordinates revisits to survivors’ homes with Independence Police officers to offer additional support and resources.
Five Years Later: How Preble Street’s Response to COVID-19 Shaped Its Future
If you’re looking to reduce your Missouri tax liability, you should consider making a donation to Answer House. Donations to Answer House of $100 or more qualify for the Missouri Domestic Violence Tax Credit Program. The tax credit may be the equivalent of 70% of the value of your qualified donation and you may qualify for federal tax deductions on the difference. Answer House is proud to offer comprehensive services to survivors and their children, no matter where they are in their journey. We will work with you on an individual basis to create a plan that meets your specific needs.
Personal Care
In case you haven’t already heard, this will be my last post as Executive Director. At the end of June, I will join many of you in the enchanted land of retirement and social security recipient. It has been my pleasure working with our donors who fund our mission and the staff and volunteers who carry it out on a daily basis. Domestic violence can happen to anyone, no matter their gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, or sexuality. Answer House advocates for survivors, no matter where they are in their journey. Targeted assistance and case management for adult survivors with Family Court and/or Children’s Division involvement.
She also completed our Parenting, Healthy Relationships, and Financial Literacy classes – as well as an internship at Head Start. “For the first time in my life, I feel stable and stress free. And I couldn’t have gotten here without Answer House to get me started,” says Brittani.
