McAuley Village & Sojourner House: A partnership to better the lives of homeless women and children.
Dear Friends of McAuley Village:
It cannot be overstated the amount of pride our organization has for the history and mission of our McAuley Village program, or for the thousands of lives of formerly homeless single mothers and their children it has impacted for over 30 years. This is why the news we share today is so exciting.
McAuley Village has formed a partnership with the Housing and Community Development team at Sojourner House. Sojourner House is a provider of comprehensive services available to domestic violence or sexual abuse victims, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Rental subsidies for the resident families will be provided by Sojourner House and our collaboration with them will significantly expand existing services as they will provide expert case management and counseling, training, advocacy, and immigration services.
Throughout meetings with Sojourner House to explore this partnership, their enthusiasm and commitment were palpable every step of the way. Perhaps as much as anyone, their executive director, Vanessa Volz, grapples with our state’s housing crisis and the families in desperate need. Her words, “housing insecurity is the greatest barrier our clients and those served by McAuley Ministries face as they seek to rebuild their lives,” underscore the importance of having the Village’s units available to those who need them most.
Currently, there are 20 mothers and 45 children living at the Village with two more move-ins soon – all victims of wrongdoing and a system that all too often fails them. At this same time, our Village Without Walls program provides families that moved from the Village into their own, independent home in 2021 the support they and their children need. This new program reaches an additional 17 moms and 39 children. And all are working to better their lives.
The staff of McAuley Ministries and our Board of Trustees are working diligently to raise the funds necessary to meet the needs of all the families and the pressing renovation needs of the Village. We are hopeful that our generous donor community will continue to support our program.
As we look to the ever-brightening future of McAuley Village, 2022 will be filled with hard work, the promise of continuing a mission of changing lives, and the legacy of the works of the Sisters of Mercy. We hope you will join us.
With appreciation, Barbara Haynes & Rev. Michele Matott