BEDFORD – Janie* came to Becky’s Place in July of 2020 needing a place to stay. She only stayed a month before moving to a friend’s home, saying that she was “too old” to be at Becky’s Place. Janie reached out to Becky’s Place again the following March, right before her 70th birthday. She was living in a homeless shelter in another county and it was closing; she needed a place to stay.
Of course, they welcomed Janie back to Becky’s Place with open arms. She started working with a case manager to address her chronic homelessness. Together, they put in applications for housing, but Janie had a hard time finding a place because of her financial situation. Janie’s bouts with homelessness started when her husband died, and she was overwhelmed with financial responsibilities.
To address this barrier to stability, Janie’s case manager helped her with a budget and was able to get her approved for income-based housing. Today, Janie is doing well in her new apartment and continues in the Aftercare Program, working on the goals she set while at Becky’s Place.
Becky Place is currently serving 12 residents and 10 children. Eleven of their residents are employed and the other are working with case managers to find employment.
Thanks to the skills of the case manager, three residents have moved into permanent housing. In the near future, Becky’s Place will be able to start offering art therapy to residents.
Becky’s Place continues to have strong relationships with other community agencies. Becky’s Place is partnering with Hoosier Uplands to offer a weekly meeting to help residents work on building healthy relationships.
Lawrence County Community Foundation has also awarded Becky’s Place a Workforce Development grant.
These funds will be used to provide a computer for residents to use for job searching or to meet needs to start employment. Becky’s Place is grateful for the continued support that the community shows.
Becky’s Place Dining for Hope event is scheduled for Monday, September 13th. Local restaurants will partner with Becky’s Place on this special day to allow patrons to help support Becky’s Place. Stay tuned for a list of participating restaurants.
