Two local shelters are continuing their mission to help women and children in crisis.
Leaders at A Friend’s House and Haven House, both in McDonough, say they are working to overcome challenges wrought by COVID-19.
A Friend’s House is a shelter for abused, neglected and abandoned children in Henry County and throughout Georgia. Since its inception in 1998, A Friend’s House has served more than 2,500 young people in crisis situations, said Executive Director Sandra Richardson.
She said leaders and volunteers at the shelter are working in the coming year to offset difficulties brought by recent events.
“We’re trying to recoup some of the losses from the pandemic,” said Richardson. “It caused us not to have two of our major fundraisers last year – Taste of Henry and our annual gala. Our fundraisers and grants provide us with about 48 percent of our annual funding. COVID has caused us to really look at how we’re able to provide services to our youth.”
Richardson said A Friend’s House became more dependent on using electronics as well as “virtual therapeutic care” in its counseling sessions with young people.
“Since the rise of the pandemic, we have seen an increase in the need for services and shelter for children,” said Richardson. “Our youth are coming to us already in crisis. We have to get them through it. Our youth are trying to overcome trauma from abuse and neglect. Part of that is receiving the proper therapy.”
Richardson said local residents, businesses and supporters have continued to show their support for A Friend’s House throughout COVID-19.
“The Henry County community, and surrounding communities are amazing in assisting us with meeting our mission,” said Richardson. “Our community has been amazing during the whole pandemic, providing us with food and meals. During the holidays, our stakeholders gave our clients a very memorable Christmas. It’s not so easy to find qualified employees during the pandemic. We definitely appreciate everyone who is sticking by A Friend’s House.”
Richardson said she and her staff are always looking for new partnerships to assist them in ongoing projects for the community.
“We serve a huge population of teenagers throughout the state,” she said. “There’s always a need for people who are looking to serve as mentors to our youth. Other needs that we have would be food sources. We definitely look for individuals to help with weekend meals. We like for people to become part of our village.”
A Friend’s House is a 24-bed facility which serves an average of 18-20 young people at any given time. Because of this, said Richardson, there is a need for assistance in mitigating wear and tear of the facility.
“We want our youth to have a home-like experience when they come to our facility, so we definitely need assistance in taking care of the upkeep of the home,” said Richardson. Because of the pandemic, people just aren’t as accessible to come out and help with repairs.”
A Friend’s House recently added a clinical director and counselor, Elizabeth Berry, to assist in providing psychotherapeutic services to young people at the shelter. Richardson emphasized that Berry’s arrival is not the only change made at the shelter in 2021.
“Secondly, we have been able to add, in October, a licensed practical nurse, Melissa Burrowbridge,” said Richardson. “She has been able to help us with taking care of the kids. During COVID, it was a challenge to ensure that the children were healthy and remained COVID-free. Having an LPN on our team now helps us to focus on their health and well being.”
Richardson expressed her appreciation for the community’s efforts to “help us to keep our mission and vision alive” at A Friend’s House.
For more information, call A Friend’s House at 678-432-1630.
COVID-19 has also presented its share of challenges for staff and volunteers at Haven House, a shelter for victims of domestic violence and their children. Still, operations at Haven House remain “pretty steady,” said Executive Director Katie Tucker.
“The pandemic has been a challenge for us, as it has been for everyone,” said Tucker. “Funding has been cut for us at the federal and state level, so we need monetary donations now more than ever.”
Tucker said Haven House continues to serve survivors of abuse through case management and legal advocacy services, counseling, and shelter. Staff at the shelter, she said, are working to determine how to raise money in the months to come.
“We don’t have any fundraisers planned for 2022 yet, but myself and our board of directors meet on January 17 to discuss our strategic plan for the year,” said Tucker.
For more information on Haven House, call 770-954-1008.
