Groundbreaking of women's shelter downtown, provides transitional housing

Women struggling with drug and alcohol addiction and homelessness will now have an additional resource to turn to in Jackson following a Wednesday morning groundbreaking of a new transitional housing shelter downtown.

Under the umbrella of the Care Center of Jackson, and located directly across the street, "The Genesis Homes" on Liberty Street will be home to 72 women when the project is complete. The complex will consist of the director's home and six residential homes — each housing 12 women — and fully equipped with six bedrooms, three bathrooms, a kitchen, laundry room, small office and a common area.

Each room will hold either two women or a woman and her child.

Dave Bratcher, Senior Vice President for the YMCA of West Tennessee, explained the importance of transitional housing in the journey of someone who will be staying at The Genesis Homes.

"You go from in-patient, intensive therapy, treatment, all of that, and then you send people out into the normal world," Bractehr said. "There's not a way to ease somebody back into that, so this idea would be an intermediate step, not a final step, as they begin to grow an independence."

Rescue, redeem, and restore — these are the three pillars Genesis Homes will operate by in its mission to help women in need successfully integrate back into society.

Nathan Young, Executive Director of the Care Center, explained that residents will pay an income-based rent during their time at The Genesis Homes, not exceeding $120 per week, that also covers utilities, internet, and food. Young described implementing this sort of structure as being "absolutely necessary."

"This allows the opportunity to have some of that structure and continue building up some more until they're able to say 'freedom is actually something I can handle,'" Young said. "That's the goal."

Construction will begin within the next 30 days and the application to live at the shelter is currently being developed.

Right on the heels of the men's shelter groundbreaking one month earlier, The Genesis Homes ceremony is but another example of the community's concerted efforts to help those in need.

"The life change that's happening here at Star Recovery Center, at Scarlet Rope, at the men's homeless shelter, it's a testament to the people and the heart of our city," Brachert said.

This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Emphasizing transitional housing, new women's shelter breaks ground