New center for women in crisis gets helping hand from Habitat (VIDEO)

Habitat for Humanity has been at work in a rare location for the organization – Maricopa.

Specifically, Habitat is helping to convert an old home into a center for a Christian nonprofit, Hope Women’s Center, which offers free services to teen girls and women facing any crisis. Habitat for Humanity is acting as general contractor for the renovation of a former rental property on McDavid Road north of Maricopa Meadows.

“Hope Women’s Center is a resource and referral center for women and teen girls facing any difficult life situation,” said Tammy Abernethy, CEO of Hope Women’s Center. “So, ages 13 and up and come. We do free life-skills classes, free mentoring, support groups, pregnancy testing. We have a free children’s center while moms are onsite taking classes.”

Habitat for Humanity is volunteer-based and known for building homes alongside the future homeowner, who otherwise might not be able to afford housing. The organization does not often receive calls from Maricopa, and its closest corporate office is in Peoria.

“We renovate and build new homes all the time,” said Todd Buckner, assistant construction director from Habitat’s Peoria office. “Habitat is partnering with Hope right now to oversee the site for them, their volunteers and their subs.”

He estimated the project would take nine to 10 weeks. Abernethy said, ideally, the renovation would be done by the end of the year.

“A lot of that’s going to depend on volunteers and on the availability of the contractors and the helpers to come up,” she said.

Early work at 45978 W. McDavid Road was cleaning out the building and hauling away decades of refuse. HWC has already seen helping hands, including RTM doing the thankless task of hauling an old trailer off the property.

Vanessa Behrens, a Maricopan who will manage the location, said there will eventually be a parking area and landscaping. From the inside, dumpsters were filled and walls were stripped out to get down to the basics.

“It’s got good bones, nice block,” Buckner said. “There’s no foundation issues, so it’s perfect to renovate.”

HWC received zoning for the project last spring. It will be the organization’s fifth location.

It is a half-mile from Maricopa High School and about a mile from the Family Advocacy Center. Abernethy said she hopes to work with both entities as well as Against Abuse “and other great organizations that are already here. We want to come along side and support what they’re doing. Our heart is partnership.”

She said typical clients are in poverty or a domestic violence situation or some kind of crisis. “It’s a safe place. It’s free. Our whole goal is, how do we help them restore, heal and move forward in their lives.”

Behrens formerly managed a pregnancy center in Maricopa. She said she realized the girls and women they were helping had more needs and issues to resolve than unplanned pregnancies.

“I was so excited to find Hope Women’s Center and then to have them come to Maricopa,” she said.

Maricopa’s A Heart for You Pregnancy Center merged with Hope Women’s Center in 2017.

Abernethy said along with free classes and referrals, HWC is organized to encourage clients to return. “Every time a woman comes, she’s earning points, and with her points she’s able to get material resources. We want to help women move from trauma to transformation.”

HopeWomensCenter.org
HabitatCAZ.org

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This story appears in the October issue of InMaricopa.