ASCENSION PLACE INC

When the going gets tough, we all need a place to go to. For many women, Ascension Place, Inc. provides shelter from the storm during difficult times. All three of our programs are safe, supportive, and caring living environments for women struggling with complex issues, including homelessness, mental illness, chemical dependency and violence. The caring staff at our programs encourages residents to build a permanent support system enabling them to enact real and lasting change in their lives.

At St. Anne's Place, families who have become homeless stay for a short term of about 2-3 months. During their stay, we offer an extensive youth program to meet the unique educational, recreational and social needs of children living in shelter. Their mothers work with our case managers to develop a strategic goal plan for returning to stability. Most families find permanent housing and move out. For about 25 families who would benefit from additional support, the Aftercare Program provides two years of additional services. In response to a growing trend of young parents at risk of- and experiencing- homelessness, the Young Parent Aftercare Program was founded for male and female parents under the age of 21.

Ascension Place, our first program, provides a safe environment for 32 women who have been through an initial crisis such as unmanageable mental illness, chemical dependency, homelessness and violence. They often come to us from shelters, treatment, or hospitalization where they received initial care. The goal now is to build a permanent support system that will help sustain and continue the life-changing work they have already accomplished. We provide support groups, case management, advocacy and the opportunity to grow in ways that many of our women have never had access to such as the arts, theater, spoken word and other forms of expression and healing.

In March of 2011, we opened Next Step Housing: a permanent, apartment-based housing program of Ascension Place, Inc. Using the 'intentional community' model, Next Step seeks to build a long term community of women supporting each other to reach their individual goals and continue the healing process. The program is only open to residents of Ascension Place, so tenants will have a connection to each other prior to moving in to their one-bedroom apartment. This program offers voluntary supportive services but tenants are largely stabilized and reaching towards longer term goals such as diplomas, family reunification and employment readiness.