Women who stay at SHS share a dormitory-style room with other women, and each family who comes to the shelter receives their own room. Residents arrive with a variety of different issues and come from many different backgrounds. Because of this, the staff tries to see each household as unique and develop a tailor-made plan for the issues that each family faces. The purpose of this meeting is to help the resident figure out their goals, and then to help them develop a plan to achieve those goals. After this initial meeting the residents begin working on their goals.
Residents can stay at the shelter for up to ninety days.
Some need clothing or employment, while others need education assistance or housing assistance. Accessing mental health counseling and medical assistance, finding schools and childcare for children, and figuring out transportation issues are all common tasks for the shleter staff. The needs are as varied as the people who come in the door. The Story of a Resident A woman and her two children have just arrived. They have been homeless for a year after fleeing an abusive husband and father.